Eternally Yours
by Danni1989
Summary: Sequel to "Feels so Right." After four years Damon and Elena's relationship is slowly falling apart. Knowing they needed to do whatever it takes to save it, they leave town for as long as necessary. They end up at Damon's villa in Italy where they work on repairing their struggling relationship. Will they ever return to Mystic Falls? Will they both get everything they want?
1. Chapter 1

Here it is, finally after months of promising it- the sequel to Feels so right. It took me forever to figure out what I wanted to do with this story. I finally figured it out last week. I hope you enjoy it. this first chapter starts out slow, but it will pick up soon along with some delicious DE smut. Let me know what you think of this long-awaited sequel.

I own nothing.

* * *

_Four years later_

The front door slammed and the very angry vampire stormed out of the house and climbed into her brand new Mustang; a birthday gift from her boyfriend. The past four years had been a cycle of anger, fights, yelling and amazing makeup sex. But after four years of it, it was getting to be too much. She knew that once she turned and became like him, all the emotions would be more intense than before. But she never imagined how her heightened emotions would make them fight even more than before. She was more stubborn, more passionate than before. She equally matched him in so many ways that it made them fight more than ever. Then there was their differing opinions on certain topics that always erupted into huge arguments that more often than not had one of them walking out. Today it was her, but usually it was him walking away to go drink away his issues at the Grill. The car sped away from the house and towards the Grill. She laughed slightly when she realized her go-to cure for anger was the same as his. She was going to drink. It must be a vampire thing, she thought to herself. She whipped into a parking spot and turned off the car, before hitting the steering wheel a few times. When she worked out a small amount of her anger she walked into the Grill and took a seat at the bar where Caroline and Bonnie were sitting.

"What's up?" Caroline asked when Elena sat down.

"I hate him." she answered.

"What did he do this time?" Caroline asked sighing. This was becoming such a constant thing between Elena and Damon.

"He just doesn't get it. I know I'm a vampire, but I don't feel comfortable taking blood from the source. I'm content with my blood bags. But he doesn't understand that along with myself not wanting it that way. I don't want him drinking it like that in our home. It makes me uncomfortable." she said softly.

"He was drinking from a person at your house?" Caroline asked.

"Yes. And naturally I snapped, what with these glorious heightened emotions and whatnot. But he says that just because I won't drink it that way, that doesn't mean he has to stop." Elena explained.

"He does have a point Lena. Just a bit. He is a vampire, and blood tastes so much better coming from a person. You don't have to kill to get the blood. You know that." Caroline explained softly.

"I just don't like seeing that. All I want is for him to stop." Elena said.

"What is the real problem here Lena?" Caroline asked knowingly, while Bonnie sat on Caroline's other side listening intently to the conversation.

"The fact that he's drinking from a human. That's the issue." Elena said.

"Elena, you can't lie to me. What is the real issue? What upsets you so much about him drinking from a person?" Caroline asked again knowing her friend really well.

"It's that he drinks from women. He seduces them, and brings them to our home. I walk in to find him drinking from another woman's neck. It's far too intimate for me to be comfortable with. It makes my emotions go crazy, and I feel betrayed. To me it's no better than openly cheating on me." Elena explained.

"See now it makes more sense. Have you told him that?" Caroline asked.

"No." Elena answered.

"Maybe you should tell him how you feel. I'm sure he'd stop or come up with some other system to make you more comfortable. The guy loves you Elena Gilbert." Caroline insisted.

"I don't want to tell him. I don't want to talk to him. I don't want to even see him." Elena said, her voice raising several octaves.

"Can I get you a drink Lena?" Matt asked.

"Something strong. I need hard liquor to get through today." she stated running a hand through her long brown hair.

"What's going on Lena? Is it being a vampire? Or is it your tumultuous relationship with one Damon Salvatore? You don't usually drink hard liquor." he asked.

" A bit of both. I need hard liquor to get through this." Elena said.

"Okay. Here is your boyfriends favourite. Bourbon." he said pouring her a glass of bourbon.

"Thanks Matty." she said gratefully.

"So do you want to tell me what's going on?" he asked leaning over the bar.

"I'm just not too fond of him at the moment. I honestly feel like I regret changing for him at the moment. I thought becoming a vampire would make us closer than we were before. But it's just causing fights and more fights followed by extremely passionate sex. After the sex there are usually a few good days, but then the cycle starts up again." Elena explained.

"Do you really regret it, or are you just annoyed at him?" he asked.

"Annoyance isn't really on the list of what I'm feeling right now." she told him.

"Just think about it this way. You were completely and passionately in love with him, if you weren't you would never have changed. Is that gone now?" Matt asked.

"No. I am still just as much in love with him as I was before. It's just I might regret turning into a vampire. That's the source of most of our problems I think." she confessed.

"It's a bit late for regrets isn't it?" Matt asked.

* * *

"She's just being stubborn as she always is. This time I wasn't in the wrong. She is just as wrong as I am. I am doing what vampires do. I am drinking blood. It's just that for reasons unknown she snaps whenever I feed on a person. Over dramatic female vampire." he muttered as Ric sat on the arm-chair facing his friend.

"Are you usually in the wrong Damon?" Alaric asked going into full on friend/ therapist mode.

"Admittedly yes. I do stupid shit from time to time. But this time I was just doing what vampires do. So what I brought a hot blonde home and fed from her. That's all it was. Elena is too emotional." Damon argued.

"So you fed from a girl? A girl who by your own omission is hot. Why the hell do you think she's pissed? Idiot." Alaric exclaimed.

"It was just food. Good God, if she's pissed about that, then we have more problems than I ever thought we did." Damon said still not overly apologetic about that.

"Ever think that maybe she has insecurities that you don't know about. Maybe the thought that you having any sort of relationship with another woman scares the hell out of her?" Alaric asked.

"She's never been so insecure before. Either way I'm not wrong and I'm not going to be the first to apologize this time." Damon said not budging at all.

"Just think about what you're willing to lose. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back home to my wife. I like her better than I like you." Alaric said.

"Goodbye Ric. Thanks for nothing." he said as one of his only friends walked out of the house.

"Can I come home with you tonight Caroline? I'm not ready to face Damon yet." Elena asked.

"Elena, you can't avoid him forever." Caroline said.

"I know, just for tonight. For a little while, it doesn't even have to be the whole night. Just let me stay here until Damon goes to bed. Then I'll go home." Elena pleaded.

"Fine. But when Tyler gets home you have to leave. Its our anniversary today."Caroline said.

"Fine. At least that will give me some time to think about my existence." Elena said.

"You can't honestly regret turning into a vampire." Caroline said.

"I don't know. It's great most days. It's just so much shit has happened since then. I think I'm blaming being a vampire for all the bad stuff in my life lately." Elena said.

"Ever think of just taking a trip somewhere. Just you and him. No drama, just the two people who fell in love five years ago?" Caroline asked.

"Do you think that would help?" Elena asked.

"It helped me and Tyler, after we got back together. It could do wonders for you as well. And Damon has money, I'm sure he'd love to spend it on repairing your very broken relationship." Caroline offered.

"I hope so. I can't keep living like this. I'm not happy." Elena said.

"I can see that. And neither is he. You owe it to yourselves and to each other to try to make this work." Caroline said patting her hand softly.

"Thanks Care. Maybe I'll go see my brother instead. Let you enjoy your anniversary alone with Tyler." Elena said.

"Thank you. I love you Lena." Caroline said standing up and hugging her friend.

"I love you too Caroline." Elena said hugging her friend back.

"I hope everything works out for you." Bonnie said softly, picking up her purse and slinging it over her shoulder.

"Thanks Bonnie. That means a lot. How are things with you and Matt?" Elena asked trying to make conversation with her friend.

"It's going good. I love him. We're thinking of moving in together." she said.

"You know, I think your relationship has moved slower than any other relationship I've ever seen. Even Jeremy and Claire are living together." Elena said.

" But Matt and I, from the beginning we wanted to take it really slow. I mean we never slept together until our six month anniversary. It just made more sense. He was still pining after Caroline and you to some extent and Jeremy had dumped me when I thought we'd be together forever. We didn't want to rush something that could be good for both of us. And now it is good. It's the best relationship I've ever been in." Bonnie explained.

"I'm glad. I wish my relationship was as happy as yours." Elena said.

"It will be again. I'm sure of it. You and Damon are both too stubborn to just give in. You'll work it out." Bonnie said confidently.

"Thank you. But I better go. I'm going to visit Jeremy and Claire. They just moved in together. They're still in that learning curve of leaning how to live with another person. I'm curious to see how its going." Elena said picking up her purse and leaving the restaurant.

When she got to the small, one bedroom house Jeremy and Claire were renting, she walked up the front walk and rang the doorbell.

"Oh Lena, its you. What's up?" Jeremy asked.

"I was hoping for some company for a while. I'm not ready to go home yet." Elena said hopefully.

"Come on in. So what did he do this time?" Jeremy asked as they walked into the small living room.

"We just live completely different existences. He's into the traditional vampire eating habits thing, and I'm most definitely not." Elena said.

"Don't you ever think that maybe you should throw in the towel? Maybe your relationship isn't worth all the trouble it causes the two of you?" Jeremy asked.

"It is. My relationship is worth it. When things are good, they're so beyond good. Even when things are bad, I still love him to death." Elena told her brother.

"Well then maybe you should just talk to him." Jeremy suggested.

"I want to. But I think that conversation will only go so far. We need to get away." Elena said.

"Where to?" Jeremy wondered.

"Wherever. It doesn't matter. Somewhere where the two of us can be alone together. Somewhere we can get back to the couple we used to be. I love him and I know he still loves me. We just need to get back there." Elena said.

"Have you run this idea by him yet?" Jeremy asked.

"Not yet. I haven't talked to him since I walked out after finding him drinking from a blonde in our living room." Elena admitted.

"When was this?" Jeremy asked knowing his sisters strong capabilities of holding grudges.

"A few hours ago." Elena answered unwillingly.

"Well maybe you just need to go home then. Talk to your boyfriend. Tell him your plan and do it. Get out of town." Jeremy urged her.

"Alright. I'll go." Elena said standing up steeling her nerves at seeing him again.

"Good luck." Jeremy called.

"Thanks. I'm going to need it. Conversations after screw ups always turn into massive fights." she told him.

"Good luck." Jeremy repeated, walking Elena to the door.

Damon was sitting at home alternating drinking from blood bags and bourbon. The blood bags didn't taste nearly as good as the blood from the willing victim, but clearly it would have to do. Elena would not let him drink from a woman, and a more rational part of him understood why. The irrational part of him was angry. Unfortunately the irrational part was more dominant at the moment. He heard her car in the driveway a few minutes later and he chose to ignore it. There were happy days where she would come home and he would be there to greet her. Today was not one of those days. He stayed in the parlour with his drinks and waited for her to come to him. He would not object if she ignored him right now. It was safer for the both of them.

"Damon you and I need to talk." Elena said marching into the room, her determination clear in the way she walked.

"Now what do you want?" he asked harshly.

"Don't act like that. Don't talk to me like that. We need to discuss." Elena said.

"What is there to discuss. You're acting like a ball and chain designed to keep me behaving however you want me to. You're changing my eating habits. Everything I do has to be the way you want it. I have to keep you happy with whatever it is that I do. So what can I do for you now, dear?" he asked sarcastically.

"Just stop Damon. We need to do something about this. The fighting is taking over our entire relationship, and I can't take it anymore." she said sitting down on the ottoman on the other side of his chair.

"Ah, so now you're going to leave me. Are you going to run to Ric and Jenna? Or will it be Caroline? Or Jeremy? Who are you going to run too Elena?" he asked letting his mask slide into place.

"Did I say I was leaving you Damon? I never said that. I just need you to shut up and listen to what I have to say. Unlike you, I am not ready to give in yet." Elena told him taking a deep breath.

"Fine. Speak." he said gesturing for her to continue.

"I'm not ready to give in yet. I still love you and I can't imagine that going away. You're worth too much to me. So I have a proposition for you." she said.

"What kind of proposition?" he asked officially intrigued. He felt better knowing that she wasn't running away. He let one of the hard walls around himself fall down so he wasn't so cold and detached anymore.

"I want us to go away together. I don't know for how long. And I don't know where. Just you and me. We need to get away and go somewhere where no one can find us. We need to find out if we're still the same couple we were four years ago or not. You can pick where we go. I'll follow you anywhere." Elena told him.

"You want to go away? Just you and me?" he asked.

"Yes. No one else. You and I need to work on us, and we can't do that here." she said.

"Okay. Do you have any preferences on where we'll go?" he asked somewhat excited.

"You can pick. I'll follow you anywhere." Elena told him, excited for their newest adventure.


	2. Chapter 2

"Anywhere? You have no preferences whatsoever?" he asked sifting through the endless possibilities in his mind.

"Anywhere. I would prefer it however if it weren't anywhere in the continental US. We need to get away to somewhere no one can find us." she said.

"Sounds good. I'll get back to you on it when I decide." he told her standing up and smiling.

"Sounds good. Do you have any idea? I can admit that I am extremely curious what you're going to decide." Elena said.

"Europe. Just haven't decided where yet. Do you want a drink?" he asked walking over to the bar.

"Sure. I'll have whatever you're having." she agreed. Elena felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. He was willing to try to work it out with her, he wasn't ready to completely give in yet. She hadn't pushed him to that end yet. He brought back over a tumbler filled with the amber liquid he was so fond of drinking.

"Thank you." she said gratefully taking the glass.

"You're welcome. Any preferences on when you want to leave?" he asked.

"Whenever you decide. I don't have anything keeping me here at the moment, and neither do you. We can go whenever you've chosen and booked plane tickets and the rest of the stuff needed." she told him. He nodded his head and perused his choices for a second.  
"I will think about it tonight and let you know tomorrow." he said. They were still awkward and distant with each other, but she hoped that this trip would fix that. Neither of them ever knew what would start a fight. It could be something simple, or it could be something painful. It didn't matter, but the end result was that they both practically walked on egg shells around each other.

"Sounds good. For the record everyone thinks that this is a brilliant idea. Us going away. I ran the idea by everyone before coming home." she confessed.

"I'm glad. I know that our fighting has affected all of our friends too." he told her.

"It has. They're sick of it, and I can't blame them. I don't want to fight with you anymore. If this trip can't fix it, then maybe we should consider ending it." she told him casting her gaze down to the floor.

"This has to work. I know at least for myself that my feelings haven't changed. It's just there is more anger than there used to be. I know that I still love you." he told her sitting directly across from her.

"I still love you too. That's never been in question. It's just we can't really move on from this until we have the time and the energy to focus solely on our relationship. Hence the reason for this trip." she said.

"It's getting late. Maybe we should just sleep on it and discuss more tomorrow." he suggested. Elena nodded her head and finished her drink before handing her glass over to him. He took the glasses into the kitchen and put them in the sink, then followed Elena upstairs. Once they were in the bedroom Elena went into the bathroom to prepare for bed. She came out in a pair of sleep shorts and a white camisole. He was already in bed when she came out. Once she slid into her side of the bed he flipped off the lamp and laid down. There was still a wide distance between them on the bed, still left over from their fight. This trip was exactly what they needed.

The next morning when Elena woke up there was less space between her and Damon than there was before. He had rolled onto his back and inched over at some point in the night. They still weren't touching but the bed was less lonely when he wasn't lying on the extreme other edge of the bed. He was still asleep and had his left arm draped across his eyes trying to stop the early morning sun from coming in. She rolled onto her side and brushed some hair out of his face and kissed his forehead tenderly. He stirred and moved his arm. His blue eyes were shining on her.

"What was that?" he asked looking at her.

"Nothing. I just couldn't help it." she said.

"I'm not complaining. So while I was thinking last night, I thought we'd save some money and go to Italy. We can stay in my villa there." he suggested.

"That sounds amazing. I've never been to Italy and I've always wanted to go." she said smiling brilliantly.

"I'm glad you approve. We can spend as much time there as you want, and Italy's not a huge country so we can still do normal sightseeing touristy things." he told her.

"I love that idea. Thank you. But I really have to get up. I'm supposed to meet Caroline and Bonnie for breakfast this morning, and if I don't hurry I'll be late." she said standing up and stretching. Her stretching caused her shirt to ride up, exposing her tanned stomach and the toned muscles.

"Take your time getting ready. Don't worry if you're late, it's just likely that they will think that we made up." he said.

"Which isn't exactly true." Elena said softly.

"We're working on it Elena. Our old method for fixing things clearly doesn't work. We're not rushing it this time. I've learned that sex does not fix everything." he said dryly.

"I know. It just takes time and all that. But I really have to get ready." she said rushing into the closet and picking something for her to wear. When she was done, she rushed into the bathroom and started up the shower.

Damon pulled himself out of bed and dressed in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt before heading downstairs. He rushed to the basement and grabbed a couple of bags of O-neg before rushing back upstairs to brew a pot of coffee. When Elena came downstairs dressed in jeans and a t-shirt Damon handed her a steaming cup of coffee and a glass of warm blood.

"Ooh you even warmed it up for me. Nice touch." she said grinning.

"I thought you would enjoy that. What time are you going to be home? Just wondering if I should worry about dinner for us?" he asked.

"I'll be home for dinner. Like I would ever miss a chance to eat something Damon Salvatore cooked." she said bumping her hip with his as she fished out her car keys.

"Right. How stupid can I get. Of course you can't resist my cooking ability. I am Italian. While you're gone I will book plane tickets for ASAP." he told her.

"Sounds good. I'll see you later." she said taking the last couple sips of her coffee and her blood.

"See you tonight." he said walking over and pressing a feather light kiss to her forehead. She smiled at the soft gesture and turned to leave the house.

"Where the hell were you? You are almost 15 minutes late. The only things I can come up with are that maybe you were fucking, or maybe one of you were dead. They were both looking as likely." Caroline screeched when Elena sat at the outside table Caroline and Bonnie had chosen at the diner.

"Neither happened actually. We're taking it slow this time. We're not rushing into our usual go-to solution." Elena said.

"So no sex, just slowly discussing your issues?" Bonnie clarified.

"Kind of. And we're going away for a while. I'm guessing, knowing Damon as well as I do, it's going to be upwards of a month. He's always looking to get out of here." Elena said.

"Where are you going? Somewhere romantic and tropical?" Caroline asked dreamily.

"Romantic, definitely. Tropical not really. We're going somewhere in Italy. Damon won't tell me exactly where. All I know is that he has a villa there." Elena explained.

"I have always wanted to go to Italy. So romantic." Caroline sighed.

"You're not coming with us. This trip is about Damon and I. We need to find those two people who were passionately in love four years ago. We're still passionate, and we're still in love it's just not the same as it was." Elena said trying to explain.

"Fine. I won't convince Tyler to take me to Italy too. I'll be good and let you and Damon have this trip to yourselves. Mainly because I am sick of seeing you two fight all the time." Caroline said giving in with a pronounced pout on her face.

"Good. Damon and I need this. Maybe after everything is sorted out and we're happy again, maybe all three of us and our significant others can go somewhere romantic and tropical together." Elena suggested.

"That is brilliant Elena. You make sure you and Damon get happy again, and then we'll plan for something like that. Tyler and I, Bonnie and Matt and you and Damon. It will be so much fun." Caroline enthused.

"Why did you have to put that idea in her head Elena? Now she'll never shut up about it." Bonnie complained.

"I must say I like this change in topic better. At least now she's not discussing the disastrous state of my love life." Elena said shrugging her shoulders.

"Did you two talk at all last night?" Caroline asked concerned for her friend.

"We talked. I told him my plan. But when we went to bed, I have never felt so much distance between the two of us before. We have never went to bed like that before. We weren't angry, we weren't really anything. This morning was a little better though. He warmed up some blood for me and kissed my forehead." she told them.

"See progress. You two will be back to normal in no time." Caroline said clapping her head.

"Damon? Where are you dude?" Alaric asked using Damon's least favourite term of endearment knowing it would annoy the vampire.

"I'm in here. If you ever use the word dude again, I will gladly dismember you." Damon said as he focused on the airlines listing of flights to Italy.

"You're a bit testy today. Things not going well with Elena?" Ric asked.

"Things are fine. I'm just a bit busy." he said scanning through the flights.

"Where are you going?" Ric asked.

"Italy. We're going away until he fix our relationship. Being around all of you is not making my relationship with Elena any easier." he said still distracted.

"Where are you going?" he asked curiously.

"Sarteano Tuscany.. I have a villa there." he said finally finding a first class flight that appealed to him.

"Exotic. I'm sure Elena will love that." Alaric said.

"She will. She already told me how badly she's wanted to go to Italy. I'm giving her that. While we're there we will tour all the places she wants to see. It will be like a month long honeymoon where we only focus on each other." Damon said.

"Sounds well deserved. Elena deserves to be happy. And for reasons unknown you have always made her that way. I hope it works out for you. Mainly because as my drinking buddy, I need you to be sane." Alaric said slapping his shoulder.

"Is there anything I can help you with Ric?" Damon asked clicking the print button on the laptop so he could print the ticket confirmation.

"I came to see if you wanted a drink with me. But then I see you on the computer and I literally thought that I have never seen you use one before. I was beginning to think you didn't know how. I'm astounded to learn something new about you." Alaric said smirking.

"I am well aware of how to use a computer. I can probably use one better than you can." Damon said closing the lid to the laptop and carrying it back into the study.  
"So where is Elena today?" Ric asked.

"With Caroline and Bonnie." he answered.  
"When are you leaving for Italy?" Ric asked.

"What's with the 20 questions?" Damon demanded shaking his head at his friend.

"I'm just curious?" Alaric asked.

"Soon. Elena said we can leave whenever we wanted, so I booked the tickets for Wednesday." he said grinning.  
"Wow that's just two days away. Damn it. I have to get home. Tell Jenna. She'll be having the two of you over for a Bon Voyage party." Alaric said.

"I'm not going to argue because I know its futile." Damon said.

"Good job. You are learning. So tell me about the place you're taking her." Alaric commanded.

"It's in Italy. It belongs to me. It's worth more than everything you own combined. 7 bedrooms. 7 bathrooms. Three swimming pools, guest houses, a hot tub. Lots more. It's amazing. And it has an amazing kitchen." he boasted.

"Sounds like quite the house. How did you get it?" he asked.

"I bought it years ago from the owner before he died. He was a good friend." he said.

"So you have had other friends before me." Alaric said placing his hand over his heart in shock.

"Yes now shut up. I think I just heard Elena's car in the driveway." he said.

A few minutes later Elena walked in smiling.

"Hey Ric. What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Visiting with Damon. I didn't know he could use a computer." he said shocked.

"Did you book the tickets?" Elena asked excited.

"Yep. We're going away on Wednesday." he said. He wasn't expecting her reaction. She rushed into his arms and held him tightly.

"I'm so happy. Will you tell me about the house yet?" she asked hopefully.

"Sure." he said rushing upstairs to grab a photo album. He opened the book and flipped through pages of photos of the house in Italy. "There are three pools close together with a view of Monte Cetona. We will have a sitting area filled with roses which I have someone dealing with all year round. Air conditioned sitting area on the ground floor. And a winding staircase. A paved Al Fresco dining area just outside the kitchen. In the middle of the three pools there is a small sitting area. A very comfortable seating area underneath the loggia with a flat screen TV. At least there was a TV last time I was there. Someone will be in big trouble if its gone. Trees outside. The house has that Italian feel with the neutral colour and Mediterranean styled architecture. We have an amazing view of Sarteano, with all its amazing countryside. An amazing stone fireplace in one of the sitting rooms. I can't wait to curl up with you in front of that fireplace while you read your book. Beamed and vaulted ceilings. The house is a true work of art. An absolutely amazing kitchen. Even cordon bleu educated chefs couldn't complain about the amenities in there. Bedrooms with en suite bathrooms and a private sitting area. Everything in the house is one of a kind and very rare. Some items are as old as the house. You will love the bedding. It is only the highest quality. I put a lot of money into this house. Sinks are stone and in time with the feel of the house. Everything mostly has a monochromatic look. I like the colour scheme. Private jacuzzi tub in the master bath with an amazing view. Large walk in shower, even bigger than the one here. Another seating area with vaulted ceilings that lead out into the garden. A quite interesting water fountain that I had imported. The main house is made of stone and has rose beds along it, adding some much-needed colour. Olive trees and another outdoor seating area. Two guest houses. The people taking care of the house live in them. I don't insist they leave when I come. The guest houses are furnished the same as the main house. The pools are fully illuminated at night so you can swim. The area around the pools are surrounded by palm trees." he said going through all the pictures.  
"Damn, how much money do you have Salvatore?" Alaric asked after looking through the pictures with the two of them.

"More than enough. I also have a house in a few other places too. Greece for instance." he said.

"Over the top bastard." Alaric muttered.

"The house is so beautiful. I can't wait to see it." Elena said fingering the picture of the house.

"Just wait until you see it in person. It's even more beautiful. I have put more work into that house than I ever did to this one. Mainly because I don't have to share that house with Stefan. This one is in both of our names. That one is all mine. And yours obviously." he said.

"When was it built?" she asked curiously.

"I'm actually not sure. It is fairly old and had been completely redone before I bought it." Damon explained.

"I can't wait." Elena said grinning. She was more excited than she ever remembered being for anything before. She was going to live in the most amazing house that she had ever seen for a month and it was going to be all one on one time with her beloved Damon.

"I'm glad. I hope you're okay with a Bon Voyage party. Ric is telling Jenna about our trip and you know Jenna will insist on throwing a party." Damon asked.

"It's fine. I cant' believe we're leaving on Wednesday. It's almost too good to be true." Elena squealed.

"I haven't seen you this happy in a long time." Damon said.

"I haven't been this excited in a long time. I get to see Italy. I'm going to start packing." Elena said jumping up and running upstairs.

"I have never seen her this excited." Alaric said.

"Me neither. She deserves it after the past four years. It's time we start working on us." Damon told his friend. Alaric responded by slapping his shoulder reassuringly.


	3. Chapter 3

This one is shorter and not as good as the past two. It's more or less just a filler chapter until the relationship work starts next chapter. Enjoy. Please read and review. it would mean the world to me.

* * *

"They're going to Italy? For a month? Over the top bastard isn't he?" Jenna asked shocked, when Alaric told her about Damon and Elena's trip to Italy.

"They need this Jenna. Have you heard them fighting lately?" he asked.

"Yes. But couldn't they go somewhere closer, and not for a month? That is just over the top. It's insane." Jenna said.

"They need it badly. They're going to his villa in Italy. They're leaving on Wednesday." Alaric told her.

"I'm so jealous." she whined.

"I know." Alaric assured her.

"Well I guess it's only right that I throw them a Bon Voyage party." Jenna said pulling out a pad of paper and starting a party to-do list.

"You do that. They assumed you would, because that's just what you do. And maybe if we behave this time, and let them do what they want, they will let us borrow the house sometime and we can take a trip." Damon suggested.

"What kind of house is it? It's not some grungy crash pad for when he happens to be in Italy, is it?" Jenna asked warily.

"Definitely not. It is quite the opposite. The house is bigger and grander than the boarding house." he said.

"Over the top bastard." Jenna muttered.

"Yep. And he's proud of it. That house he had put a lot of effort into because he doesn't have to share it with Stefan. Apparently he has houses elsewhere too, such as Greece." Alaric stated dryly.

"Do you think this trip will truly help their relationship? I'm starting to think maybe they should just throw in the towel?" Jenna asked him.

"I think if this trip doesn't fix them, then they should consider that." Alaric decided after thinking about it for a moment.

"Well then I hope for both of their sakes that this fixes them. Elena has been happiest when they've been together. Even now with them fighting 80% of the time, she's still happier as a person now than she was before Damon." Jenna said.

"They have issues. And they're both so stubborn. But that stubbornness could come in handy as they won't give in too easily. I'm sure they'll work it out. As her aunt, what do you think their problems are based from?" Alaric asked hoping for some insight.

"Well the Elena I remember couldn't wait to get married and have a family. The family aspect is out for her now. That could be causing some of it." Jenna said thinking about it for a moment.

"She chose to become a vampire. Damon didn't pressure her into it. She can't hold that against him." Alaric said.

"She probably doesn't. It's just like she lost a whole potential future when she chose Damon. It makes the little things he does wrong seem so much worse because in choosing him she lost the thing she wanted most in the world. So the little things are magnified in her perspective." Jenna explained.

"I guess that makes sense. But Elena wanted this. Damon was what she wanted most in the world." Alaric argued.

"Maybe he was, but now that she has him, the other latent desires have come out. Now knowing that it's impossible could be making her desperate for a child. Something that no matter how hard he tries, he can't give her." Jenna explained.

"I guess I understand that. But they are so in love with each other. I'm sure it'll work out. So what do you have planned for this party?" he asked changing the subject.

"How does my big boyfriend feel about barbecuing? It's the easiest solution for a party that has to happen so soon." Jenna suggested.

"I'm cool with it. What are we barbecuing?" he asked.

"Hotdogs or hamburgers. You can pick." she answered.

"Hamburgers. Chips and pop." Alaric answered. Jenna nodded her head and wrote that down on the sheet.

"Okay next task..." Jenna said looking at her list and checking to see what was next.

"The weather in Italy is nice right now right?" Elena asked from the walk in closet as she tried to figure out what to pack.

"It's always nice in Italy. Pack whatever you want." he called back to her from the bed in their bedroom.

"You're helpful. Dresses and shorts or jeans?" she asked.

"Pack both. We're there for a month. And there is a washing machine there, so you can wash clothes." he told her.

"Sounds good." she said choosing a few sun dresses and some denim shorts. She stuffed those into her large suitcase before picking a couple of pairs of jeans to stuff in as well.

"You know we don't leave for a couple of days yet right? You could pack tomorrow." he suggested.

"I'm too excited to wait. I'm hoping that maybe if I'm ready to go the trip will happen faster." she said smiling brightly.

"Sorry but it doesn't work that way. If I wasn't afraid of being staked, I would whisk you off right now. But I don't want to risk pissing off Jenna, thus pissing off Ric who is very handy with a stake." Damon said.

"I guess. But even if we were to leave early, we don't have plane tickets." she said sitting down on the bed beside him.

"Doesn't matter. Compulsion is amazing. We could compel ourselves a couple first class seats." Damon said shrugging his shoulders.

"I will not compel someone to get free plane tickets that is so wrong." she said annoyed.

"Okay okay. I know you have morals. I don't want to fight about this right now." he said raising his hands in surrender.

"Okay." she said taking a deep breath to calm her annoyance.

"Let's just focus on getting through these last couple days, and then we can focus on us." he sighed.

"Okay. Just a couple more days." she said laying down on the bed beside him.

"Where the hell is Ric and those extra hamburger buns. Mystic Falls isn't that big. How long can it take to go to the grocery store?" Jenna demanded to no one in particular.

"We don't need more buns Jenna. There is still half a dozen." Elena told her aunt, laughing at her.

"I don't want to run out of food. There is quite a few people here." Jenna said taking a deep breath.

"You won't. I've already ate my fill and Damon is sitting over there rubbing his non-existent stomach." Elena said flashing a smile over to Damon.

"You two seem to be getting along better now." Jenna noted.

"It's the anticipation of a month of alone time. I'm just hoping that this trip fixes us and not pushes us further apart." she whispered to her aunt.

"I hope so too. So what exactly are your problems?" Jenna asked conversationally.

"It's just we're fighting a lot. About little things and bigger things. If we would have dealt with the underlying issues before now then we would probably be fine right now. But we didn't. Now we have to suffer." Elena explained.

"How did you deal with the problems at first? Obviously that approach wasn't effective." Jenna stated softly.

"Oh it wasn't. We dealt with our issues with sex, and clearly that didn't help. It helped at the beginning, because the sex was always great. But in the end it just covered up our issues not really dealt with them." Elena admitted.

"That's what this trip is all about I guess. I hope it works out for you. For the record I've never seen you happier than when you two are happy." Jenna said patting her shoulder reassuringly.

"I hope so too. I am so in love with him. That hasn't changed. Even when we're fighting, I'm still in love with him." Elena admitted.

"I know. But now where is Ric. I need hamburger buns." Jenna said ending the subject, sensing that Elena was getting uncomfortable with the conversation.

"Actually I just heard his car in the driveway." Elena said hearing the car in the driveway.

"Good I am going to dismember him." Jenna said walking to the door.

"Calm down Jenna. Don't hurt him. It is possible that the store was really busy. Just calm down. I know that Damon really likes Ric, and we need to keep him alive. Even someone like Damon needs a friend." Elena said trying to calm her aunt down.

"Okay. Fine. I'll calm down. Only because it'll probably help your relationship if Damon has someone to rant to from time to time. Just like you have me." Jenna said patting her shoulder again.

"Thanks Jenna. But I am so excited for Italy. I've wanted to go there since I was a kid." Elena enthused to her aunt.

"I'm happy you're getting that. And I'm happy you are going with such an over the top bastard such as Damon. You'll get to experience Italy with loads of money and an amazing house. I am so jealous. I want a holiday." Jenna said her lower lip protruding slightly.

"Go to the lake house for the weekend. If I could I would take you. But I can't. This trip is for me and Damon." Elena said slightly apologetic.

"I know. But the lake house isn't as fun as it used to be now that I know you're going to Italy." Jenna stated.

When Wednesday morning finally came, Elena sat in the passenger seat of Damon's Camaro as they drove to the airport.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked peering at her from the corner of his eye. He could see the excited smile on her face and how she was practically vibrating with excitement.

"Oh yes. I'm so excited." she said.

"I can see that. You can't even sit still. You're like a kid on Christmas morning." he told her laughing.

"I can't help that you're making one of my dreams come true." she said smiling.

"I'm glad I still have that effect on you. I'm not doing my job right if I can't make your dreams come true." he told her taking her hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it.

"You've made my dreams come true for the past few years." Elena whispered knowing he could hear. He smiled softly as he parked in a spot at the airport.

"Let's go." he said popping the trunk so they could grab their luggage. They walked into the airport side by side and manoeuvred their way to the check in desk. When they were through they went to security and made their way through. Elena was impressed the Damon never tried to compel the guards. She wouldn't put it past him. They got through the security line with no issues and sat down in the waiting area.

"OK, there are going to be some rules on this trip though." Damon said turning towards her, deciding that this would be the best time to discuss that.

"Okay." she said trying to urge him to continue.

"We have to work on our relationship, but given that if you need to get away from me, please do so. If you want to take a swim by yourself, or walk along the grounds, do it. I will only go with you if you want me to. But you can't constantly avoid me, and you can't leave the grounds alone. You have no idea how long it would take me to find you if you left. We're going to give ourselves and each other the benefit of the doubt this trip and dedicate ourselves into finding the two people who were in love before all of this." he explained. She nodded her head solemnly. "Okay. Those sound fair." she agreed.

"Good. Now lets just wait for our plane, then go to Italy." he said satisfied and more excited than he was before.

After the nearly 9 hour flight, the plane finally landed in Sarteano Italy. Elena was peering out the window at everything she could see and was eagerly awaiting their turn to exit the plane.

"I'm so excited." she said clapping her hands together.

"You've said that a time or two lately." Damon muttered good-naturedly.

"I know. But I am. Come let's go." she said seeing a break in the people on the flight. They snuck out with the carry-on's and stepped off the plane.

"So, how are we getting to the house?" Elena asked.

"Right there. That is Bella and Antonio. They watch the house." he said seeing the two people he was looking for.

"Bella and Antonio." she repeated not wanting to forget their names.

"Signor Salvatore. Welcome back." Bella said smiling warmly at him.

"How was your flight?" Antonio asked.

"It was fine. But tiring. We just want to head to the house." he told them. They nodded their heads eagerly and took the carry-on's from them.

"Come." Bella said leading them out of the airport. They got lead to a black sedan which Antonio opened the back doors for them.

"Thank you."Elena said.

"You are most welcome. " Antonio stated climbing behind the wheel of the car.

After driving for a few minutes, during which Elena had her head craned practically out of the car, trying to catch a glimpse of everything, they finally arrived at the house.

"Here we are. Home sweet home." Antonio said parking the car at the front of the house so they could unload their luggage.

"Thank you Antonio." Elena said wheeling her suitcase over to where Damon was already unlocking the front door

"Are you ready?" Damon asked as Elena nodded eagerly.


	4. Chapter 4

I really like this chapter, so I hope you do too. It's longer than what I usually write, but I couldn't stop. If anyone has any other ideas on what they can do in Italy, pass them on. I have a few more ideas and a couple of sites with lots of ideas on them, but if there is anywhere you would like me to send them, then pass them on. Their relationship is going to slowly start heating up in the next couple chapters. They had the necessary talk in this one and now they understand each other better. I have never went more than 5 chapters without smut in a story before, so lets see how long I can let this go, shall we? It won't be for a couple of chapters yet. As always let me know what you think. Reviews are food for the muse.

I don't own anything canon to the show or the books, my writing however is mine

* * *

"This is even more breathtaking than the pictures." she sighed as she stood on the balcony overlooking Sarteano.

"Yes it is. I knew I would find you up here." he said leaning against the railing.

"Am I that predictable?" she asked turning her head towards him.

"A little bit. Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm out of sorts a little bit. I mean normally if we went on a vacation together, the entire time would have been spent having sex and just being together. But now I never know if being with you if going to cause a massive fight leaving us more damaged than before." she said.

"We shouldn't worry about that. We'll never get back to who we used to be. But like we talked about on the plane yesterday, we have to work on us, but we'll work on us slowly. We can start with just talking like this. It's easy for me to admit to you how much I miss you, and how much I still love you. But I don't expect those words to leave your lips now. I've put you through so much shit in the last little while. We are here to work on us, but we'll take it slow. We have lots of time." he said.

"I miss you too. But it is so beautiful up here. This is so amazing. I'm going to grab my camera." she said flashing away. He smiled and took a deep breath as he waited for her to come back.

Elena returned seconds later with her camera and took a picture of the scene in front of her.

"So what do you want to do today?" he asked.

"I want to go swimming." she said eyeing the pool with a faintly disguised yearning.

"Go for it. I may come down there in a while and join you." he said.

"Sounds good. It is your pool." she said.

"If you don't want me to, I won't. If you want to be alone." he said.

"No its fine. We should be able to hang out together and not fight." she said brushing it off.

"Okay. Elena, I really hate this awkwardness between us. It has to go away." he said.

"I know Damon. I'm just not sure how to get rid of it." he said.

"Okay. This is how its going to go. We are going to sit in the hot tub and talk rather than swim right now. Come with me. This is a conversation we need to have, or else we can never move forward." he said running a hand through his shaggy hair.

"Okay. I know you're right." she said walking into the bedroom. He followed her and she shut herself in the bathroom so she could change into her swim suit. He quickly changed into his and grabbed them both towels from the linen closet before she came out of the bathroom. As always when he laid his eyes on her, his breath was taken away. She was a sight in a black bikini.

"God Elena, are you trying to kill me?" he asked groaning.

"I'm glad I still have that effect on you." she said giggling.

"You will always have that effect on me. No matter how much we fight, you always turn me on." he told her.

"You turn me on too. That was never a problem." she said.

"At least we still have that effect on each other. Come. Let's go have that talk that desperately needs to happen." he said reaching out and taking her hand, pulling her out of the room. She revelled in the feeling of her hand in his. It was one of those feelings that still made her feel like everything was alright in the world. That there was nothing that could hurt her. He led her down the stairs and out a set of french doors to the pool area. They walked hand in hand to the hot tub and climbed in.

"So what do we have to talk about?" Elena asked.

"I guess I need to know what I did wrong in our relationship. What did I do to cause all these fights we've had? If I know, then maybe I can fix it." he said, not used to being this open and desperate.

"Oh boy. It wasn't anything you did per se. I started picking fights with you because I lost what meant something to me." she answered.

"What do you mean? If I took something away from you, I apologize." he said.

"No you didn't. It's just over the past few months I've remembered what it was that I wanted out of life. I wanted to do so much before I turned, and now some of it's not possible." she said.

"Like what?" he asked.

"I wanted to get married." she answered.

"I never said we couldn't. If at some point you wanted to marry, we could. I have nothing against that." he said staring at her.

"Okay, I wanted to have a family. So badly, that it's caused me a lot of stress lately." she admitted.

"You should have thought of that before you decided you wanted to be with me. Elena, there's not much you can do now, because you're a vampire. There's no going back. But before you changed you could have decided not to be with me and you could have married and had a child." he said.

"But then I would be having this issue with a different man. Except that time it would be choosing a child over you. Except the difference between that and this is that, I wouldn't have any reason to fight for him because he's not you. I don't regret choosing you. I don't. I love you and that's never going to change. It's just hard to get past knowing that, the other thing I wanted most in the entire world is never going to happen for me." she explained.

"As long as you don't regret me. If you did I would say there's nothing left for us and we would be cutting this trip short. There's no point in continuing this if there's nothing left to fix." Damon told her.

"I don't regret you. I couldn't. But that's all that's bothering me. It's mainly just that I will never be a mother." Elena sighed.

"There are other option for that as well Elena. And yet again it is something I'm open to, should you realize that you can't live without it. There is surrogacy, or even adoption. Elena there are options available to you, so you needn't not get whatever it is that you're looking for." Damon said.

"I know. Is it something you would actually be okay with though in the future?" she asked.

"If it meant that you would stay then yes. I hate how dependent on you I am, but the facts are the facts. I would do whatever it takes to make sure you're by my side for an eternity." he confessed.

"But what about when the child is old enough to notice that its parents aren't growing any older? Or how to we broach the subject of vampires to our child? That is not a conversation I am anywhere near ready to have." Elena said running her hands through her hair.

"When the child notices it, then we sit them down and tell them vampires exist. I've noticed that the band-aid approach is the best. We make sure they know that nothing and no one will ever hurt them." he told her.

"But wouldn't it be smarter to tell them as early as possible so they're used to it as they grow up?" Elena asked.

"We could also do that. You see, there are several things that we could do. And it's not impossible for us to get everything that you want. If you find that you need it at some point then it will happen. Okay?" he asked laying his hand on her arm tenderly.

"Okay. So what about you? What are your issues in our relationship?" she asked needing to get all of this out.

"Just that everything started changing. You got all hot and cold, at least now I understand why. We started fighting about everything so I stopped trying." he said shrugging his shoulders.

"Is that it?" she asked.

"Pretty much. It didn't matter what I did, you got pissed. So I stopped trying, and I started doing things that I knew would piss you off, just to start fighting. Because even fighting was better than nothing." he admitted.

"I'm sorry about starting all those fights." she said.

"Me too." he apologized.

"So what now?" she asked feeling energized after getting all that off her chest.

"Well we could do some sightseeing." he offered.

"That sounds amazing. Where should we go?" she asked.

"Well normal people would stay around Sarteano. But not only do I have a Ferrari sitting in the garage, but I can also drive super fast. So pick anywhere." he said.

"I would rather choose something near here for today. And then we can spend a whole day in somewhere like Rome or Venice another day. It's already noon, and I don't want to sleep away from here. I love this house." she said.

"Sounds good. There's actually quite a few places around here that we could go. There's historical sites, wineries, religious sites, museums, art galleries, and other things." he said.

"Wine tasting might be good. Maybe we can even buy a bottle and bring it home to share for dinner." she suggested.

"I have a whole cooler full of wine. But that's not a bad idea. More wine never hurt anyone." Damon agreed.

"Where is it?" she asked.

"10 miles east of here. There's a bigger one 25 miles north though. So you can pick." he told her.

"15 miles isn't going to make a big difference to us, considering you drive like a lunatic. Let's go to the bigger one." she said.

"Good idea. And you love how I drive. Let's go get changed and then we'll leave." Damon said pulling himself out of the hot tub and helping her out. They walked back into the house with considerable less distance between them than before.

Once they were done changing Damon led her down to the garage where the yellow Ferrari was sitting in the garage.

"Yellow seems like too bright a colour for you." Elena noted, knowing Damon's like for the darker, less bright colours on the spectrum.

"I bought it on a whim. I still like my Camaro better." he told her unlocking the doors so she could get in.

"You bought a Ferrari on a whim? How much money do you have?" she asked shocked.

"More than enough to by a Ferrari on a whim. And this house. And all my other houses. Money is something that just accumulates when you have unlimited time on this earth." he told her.

"Well." Elena said shaking her head, not knowing how to respond. Damon started up the car and opened up the garage as they sped onto the road.

"Can we take the drive slow? We're in no hurry and it's not a long way." she said.

"Certainly. If you see something on the way that you want to look at, let me know and we'll stop. Do you have your camera?" he asked.

"Of course I do. This place is too beautiful to not have my camera wherever I go." she said.

"There is a fridge full of blood back at the house, you'll be fine until we get home, right?" he asked just remembering about their dietary needs.

"I'm good. I had two bags when I woke up this morning." she said.

"Good. Let's get going." he said pressing down on the accelerator and speeding up a bit. It didn't take them long to reach the winery. There was no sign saying they were there until they reached the old building. On the building was a sign reading "Montemaggiore Wine and Country-houses."

"Here we are." he said parking the car and getting out.

"Good afternoon. Buon giorno. How can I help you?" the man said in a heavy Italian accent.

"We're here for wine." Damon said.

"Ah yes. Of course. We make the best wine here. Come with me." he said gesturing for them to follow him into a fairly run down building. Elena stopped walking so she could snap a picture of it.

"We're like regular tourists. I love it." she whispered much too low for the man to hear. They followed him into the building, which Elena realized was likely an old barn.

"Do you know what you're looking for, or would you like to taste what we have to offer?" the man asked.

"We would like to taste." Damon told him.

"Okay." the man said grabbing a few random bottles of wine off the shelves. "Where are you from?" he asked.

"We live in the US. But I own a house in Sarteano." Damon explained politely.

"Very nice. Sarteano is beautiful countryside." he said as he opened up the bottles and poured small amounts into glasses. They tasted wine for a while, some of which caused Elena to wrinkle her nose in disgust.

"You did not like that one miss?" the man asked.

"No. Very bitter." she said shaking her head.

"Ah, so you like sweeter wine." he said nodding his head and giving her a glass of a different one. Elena was glad she was a vampire, because all the wine she had ingested should have made her tipsy by now.

"That one is much better." she said of the easy to swallow wine.

"Have you found one you like yet?" Damon asked.

"I like this one. Taste it." she said handing him the glass. He had decided to let her take the reins on choosing a wine, because he liked almost anything with booze in it.

"That's good." he agreed.

"I like it. So much more than the other one's I've tried." she said.

"Do you want it?" he asked.

"Yeah." she said nodding her head.

"We'll take this kind." he told the man.

"It is one of our most expensive wines. Do you wish to know the cost?" the man asked.

"No. I just want the wine. The cost doesn't matter to me." he said.

"Okay sir. I will be right back. How do you wish to pay for this wine?" he asked.

"Credit card." he said. Elena grinned at him.

"I have never drank so much wine in my life." she whispered.

"Your reactions to some of them were so priceless." he noted.

"Shut up. Some of them were vile." she said shaking her head. The man returned to them carrying the bottle of wine and a credit card machine. Once the wine was paid for they walked back to the Ferrari and started the drive back to the house.

"So Mister Cooking Extraordinaire, what are you making me for dinner tonight?" Elena asked when they parked in the garage.

"I'm thinking of something that compliments this wine. Just so you know we are drinking this whole bottle tonight." he said.

"I was planning on it. This is the first wine I ever fully liked." she said.

"Well that's good. I was also thinking while we were out, that we should try to take us slow for a while. Kind of get the hang of not fighting before we dive right back into us." he suggested.

"That sounds good to me. I don't want to rush things." she agreed.

"Me neither. Now come. Let's see what there is to eat in this house. Tomorrow we'll hit a grocery store." he said. She followed him into the kitchen and looked through the fridge.

"Antonio and Bella take such good care of the house when I'm gone. They even bought groceries. I must remember to give them a bonus." Damon said as he took in the full fridge.

"They seem really nice." Elena agreed.

"They are. I knew Antonio's grandfather and great-grandfather." Damon told her.

"Really how?" she asked.

"I spent a lot of time here in the past. Anyways, do you want to listen to music while I cook?" he asked.

"Sure." she said. He flashed out of the room and grabbed his Ipod from the bedroom before returning and putting it in the dock located on a shelf. The music started playing immediately and he started pulling random items from the fridge with a clear idea in his mind.

"I have an idea." Elena exclaimed from her spot sitting at the island counter.

"What?" Damon asked.

"Why don't we save the wine for later, maybe in the hot tub or something, and then we can invite Antonio and Bella over for dinner. You usually make enough food for more people." she said.

"That sounds fine. Wine in the hot tub sounds magnificent. A little bit romantic. Just because we're taking the sexual aspect of our relationship slow, doesn't mean we have to take the romance part slow too." he said.

"Exactly. If you want I'll go over to their guest house and invite them." she offered.

"Sounds good. Tell them to come by around 6." he said glancing at the clock.

"Alright. I'll be right back." she said rushing out of the house.

Elena walked over to the bigger of the two guest houses and knocked on the door. Bella answered with a smile on her pretty face.

"Miss Gilbert, to what do I owe this pleasure?" she asked politely.

"Call me Elena. Damon and I want to invite you and Antonio over for dinner tonight." Elena said.

"Oh, we couldn't. This time is for you and Damon. A vacation." she said.

"We insist. We have plenty of time to be alone. We want you to join us for taking such good care of the house while Damon has been gone." Elena told her.

"When we heard that Damon was coming back we had to clean the house and supply it. He hasn't been here in so long. I know my husband misses having someone around to wait on." Bella said.  
"It's just natural to miss Damon. I miss him too." Elena said softly to make sure that he didn't overhear her.

"How do you miss him dear? He's with you all the time?" she asked confused.

"The past year or so has not been a happy time for us. We've spent almost the entire time fighting, we're here to repair our relationship." she said.

"I have faith that you will fix it." Bella said patting her arm.

"We already are. We worked through our issues today, now we're just taking it slow to get back to where we were." Elena said.

"I'm sure you'll get there. I will tell Antonio that you want us over for dinner when he gets home. What time should we be there?" she asked.

"Damon said 6. I think we're eating at the al fresco dining area." she said.

"It is going to be a lovely evening. That is an inspired idea." Bella stated smiling at Elena.

"I will see you at 6. I have to go see what Damon is up to in the kitchen." Elena said grinning. Bella smiled back and shut the door as Elena walked back to the main house.

"Did you have a good talk with Bella? You were there for quite a while." Damon asked when she walked inside.

"I did. She's nice." Elena said.

"Yes she is. She's like the mother I haven't had in a very long time. What did you two talk about?" Damon asked.

"Nothing much. You didn't try to listen in?" she asked.

"I learned long ago not to listen into your conversations." he said.

"I'm glad. That's a very good lesson to learn." Elena laughed. A little while later they seen Antonio's truck pull up in front of the guest house. Elena sighed happily when she saw Bella come out and kiss Antonio when he got out of the truck.

"They're so in love. Look at them." she said.

"It's good to see." he agreed.

"Do you think we can we like that again?" she asked.

"I know we will be. I don't know about you, but I feel closer to you already after our talk this morning." he said.

"Me too." she agreed. Damon pressed a kiss to her temple before going back to the stove to stir the noodles he had boiling and to check the chicken he had in the oven.

At 6 o'clock sharp Bella and Antonio knocked on the door carrying a bottle of wine.

"Come on in." Elena said.

"Thank you. We brought this to drink with dinner. I have never tasted food that this wine doesn't go good with. I own several bottles of it. I thought we could all enjoy it." Bella said giving the wine to Elena.

"Thank you. I'll put it in the wine cooler to chill." she said walking back into the kitchen.

"Is there anything we can do?" Bella asked.

"If you want to take these plates to the table, that's all that needs to be done." Elena said.

"For sure." Bella said taking the plates from Elena and walking outside to the eating area.

"So much wine." Elena said grinning.  
"Just don't get too tipsy." Damon joked as he grabbed the food and carried it outside while Elena followed behind him with the wine and four glasses.

Between the four of them they finished all the food that Damon had cooked, and the entire bottle of wine. The two humans were a bit buzzed and were laughing a lot.

"This was a lovely evening. Thank you for inviting us. The food was exquisite." Bella said as she stood up.

"Thank you for coming." Elena said.

"We should be heading home. Antonio has to work at his father's farm in the morning." Bella said patting her husbands thigh.

"Have a good night." Elena said.

"Thank you. You as well. Do you want me to come by and clean tomorrow?" Bella asked Damon.

"No. It's fine. We can take care of it. Relax. Sit by the pool. You do too much work for this house as it is." Damon said shaking his head.

"Oh okay. I will take care of the flowers though if you don't mind. I enjoy the gardening." she said.

"If you want. You don't have to clean the house at all while we are here. We can clean our own messes." Damon told the older woman.

"Well thank you. Maybe I will get to go see my children and grandchildren this month." she said happily.

"You should." Elena said proud of Damon for giving the woman time off.

"Good night." Bella said as she took Antonio's hand and led him out of the house.

"That was really nice of you." Elena whispered as they walked back inside.

"Sometimes I find it in me. I like Bella and Antonio. I know they work their asses off when I'm not here, keeping the house looking incredible. They deserve time off too. What do you say one of us does dishes, the other one tidies up. Whoever gets done first gets bragging rights." he suggested.

"I'm in. I'll take the tidying." she said.

"I'll take the dishes. On your mark, get set, go." he said as he flashed into the kitchen, and she flashed outside. They worked at vampire speed and were finished in no time.

"I win." Elena said.

"Not a chance. I won." Damon said staring at the completely clean kitchen.

"Ha. You did not. Stop cheating Salvatore." Elena said glaring at him.

"Stop cheating Gilbert." he said imitating her.

"Rock paper scissors." she said holding her fist out.

"I am not playing that childish game. Let's just call it a tie." he said.

"Wimp." she said.

"It's a tie god damn it. I'm going to change into my swim suit again. We still have that bottle of wine to drink." he said.

"Fine. It's a tie. " she said finally giving in. She followed him upstairs and quickly changed into her swim suit before grabbing the bottle of wine from the wine fridge. Elena met Damon by the hot tub and climbed in, placing the wine on a little floating table in the hot tub. She laid her head back and relaxed while she was waiting for him.

"You're so beautiful. You know that." she heard him whisper.

"Thank you." she said opening her brown orbs to look at him.

"You really are." he told her moving around the hot tub to sit closer beside her. She poured them both a glass of the wine and handed one to him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him. They drank their wine in silence and she could feel his eyes on her. She turned her head and her gaze locked on his blue one. As if connected by some magnetic current she leaned in until there was only a breath of space between their lips. He closed the rest of the space and kissed her.


	5. Chapter 5

Not much happens in this chapter, the their relationship continues to develop in it. this one is basically just sightseeing and them just being together. Next chapter will have them spending time together in the safety of the house. I hope you enjoy this, and as always let me know what you think.

* * *

The kiss grew in intensity until Damon pulled away.

"Shit, we have to stop. Or else I won't be able to." he said backing a little further away from her.

"You're right. We're not ready to go any further." she agreed, panting slightly regardless of her status as vampire.

"Are you almost finished in here?" he asked.

"Whenever you are. I've had more than enough wine for one night. Anymore I might actually get tipsy." she said grinning.

"We wouldn't want that. I know what you're like when you're drunk. It's fun, it just wouldn't be fun tonight considering we're trying to take things slow." he said.

"Exactly. I'm almost ready for bed." she said standing up and getting out of the hot tub.

"Any ideas of what you want to do tomorrow?" he asked as he pulled himself out of the hot tub and wrapped a towel around his waist.

"I know next to nothing about Italy, you're the expert. You tell me." she said as she dried off and wrapped the towel around her breasts.

"Well we can go into Florence. It's only about 100km away." he offered.

"What does Florence have?" she asked.

"Everything. I'll tell you what, I'll plan what we'll do, and it will be a surprise to you. We have all day, we'll leave first thing in the morning, and come home in time for bed tomorrow night." he said.

"That sounds kind of perfect." she agreed, nodding her head.

"Good. Now let's go to bed." he said leading her into the house and upstairs to the master bedroom.

The next morning they got up and showered just before the sun came up.

"I haven't been up this early in a long time." Elena said excitedly.

"We have lots to do today. We have to get going." he said making sure she had her camera and leading her out the door.

"You two are out and about early." Bella said as she bid goodbye to Antonio.

"We're going to Florence for the day." Damon told her.

"You need more than a day to see Florence." Bella chastised him.

"Not the way I drive. We won't be back until late." he said.

"Have fun you two." she said waving as they climbed into the Ferrari.

"Have a good day." Elena replied as Damon sped out of the yard. "Where are we going first?" Elena asked when they hit the highway.

"Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio." he said.

"And that is?" she asked staring at him.

"Piazza della Signoria is the most famous square in Florence. It's the heart of the historic center and has a free open- air sculpture exhibit. They have a copy of Michelangelo David." he explained.

"And Palazzo Vecchio?" she asked.

"It's the town hall of Florence. Since the middle ages. The Palazzo is medieval. It's a sight to see." he told her.

"Ah, I love old architecture." she said smiling.

"You'll love this. It is so beautiful." he said taking her hand.

"When they got into Florence, they parked the car and got out. It was early but there were already people wandering around looking at stuff.

"This place is so beautiful." Elena said taking pictures of everything. They looked at all the sculptures and toured the Palazzo. After wandering for a while and seeing everything that needed to be seen they walked back towards the car.

"Are you sure you've seen everything you need to see here?" he asked.

"Yes. I want to see something else." she said eagerly.

"Okay." he said unlocking the doors and they slid in.

"Where to next tour guide?" she asked.

"I thought you'd want to see the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. It is so beyond beautiful." he told her.

"I may not be entirely religious but these old cathedrals are so beautiful that I have to see it." she said.

"Although technically since we're vampires we shouldn't go in. But what they don't know won't hurt them." he said shrugging his shoulders.

"That is true." she agreed as she drove towards the cathedral. When they arrived Elena snapped a picture and stared at the grand building in front of them in awe.  
"Wow." she said impressed by the grandeur.

"It doesn't technically open until 10, but I've arranged a private before hours tour." he told her taking her hand.

"You've had some time to plan this I see." she said laying her head on his shoulder.

"Yes I have. Once you fell asleep last night I sent out emails to the people I needed to." he told her as they walked towards a man waiting out front of the cathedral.

"Signor Salvatore." the man said offering Damon his hand.

"Hello." he answered shaking the mans hand. The man led them into the cathedral and gave them a tour. They seen the bell tower, the terrace, baptistery, the dome, the crypt and the archaeological ruins of Santa Reparata. The tour was 45 minutes long and Elena followed the guide eagerly the entire time, taking in every word he said. Damon walked behind her, thoroughly enjoying how she was acting. She was literally like a kid on Christmas, it was amazing to see.

"Any questions?" the man asked when they ended up back at the main entrance.

"I think you covered everything." Elena said excitedly.

"That is good. Are you enjoying Italy?" the man asked kindly.

"Yes very much. This is such a beautiful country." Elena said grinning.

"Yes it is. It is a wonder." he said looking out the door at the beautiful buildings.

"Thank you so much for this." Elena said shaking the mans hand.

"It is no problem for esteemed visitors such as your Signor Salvatore." the man said brushing it off.

"Well thank you anyways." she said.

"We really should get going. Lots more to see." Damon said taking Elena's hand and leading her to the car.

"Enjoy the rest of your stay in Florence. There is much to see." the man called after them.

"What's next?" she asked excitedly.

"Do you want to see the Baptistery?" he asked.

"Baptistery?" she asked.

"The Baptistery of John the Baptist, it's from the 11th century and one of Florence's oldest buildings." he explained.

"Okay. Let's go see it." she said eagerly. Since it was Saturday, it was open when they got there.

"Wow." Elena said upon seeing the building.

"The inside is made of green and white marble. Come on." he told her, leading her inside.

"Really?" she asked as they walked inside. For the next half hour they looked at the mosaics adorning the walls of the Baptistery.

"Are you done?" he asked.

"Yeah I think so. This place is so beautiful. I'm overwhelmed by all the beauty I'm seeing today." she admitted.

"Do you want to take a break?" he asked. She nodded her head and they walked back to the car.

"Do you need blood yet? I packed a cooler filled with it." he asked.

"I'll take a bag. Better to be safe than sorry." she said taking a bag from him. He took one for himself and they drank from the bag. The dark tinted windows ensured that no passerby's seen what they were doing. When they were done feeding, he turned towards her.

"Are you ready for another destination?" he asked.

"You have this all planned out don't you?" she asked.

"Yep. I decided to take you to all my favourite places in Florence." he said.

"That's good. I'm glad I have you as my tour guide. You know the country better than almost anyone else." she said.

"I do, but that's because I've spent a lot of time here in the past." he told her.

"I'm glad you did. But where to next?" she asked.

"Next it the bell tower as long as you aren't adverse to walking up 414 stairs. The view from the top is phenomenal." he told her.

"Let's do it. I need more pictures. Jenna would be so pissed at me if I didn't take every opportunity for pictures. Besides I am a vampire, I can handle 414 stairs." she said determined.

"Let's go then." he said driving to the bell tower. When they got there, they started climbing the stairs.

"It would be nice if they had an elevator though." Elena said about half way up.

"That would ruin the look of the building. It's an old building, you don't add an elevator to an old building." he told her.

"I know. But I just see all those little humans struggling down there to see the top. I sympathize with them." she said.

"Are you sure you're not tired Elena?" he asked quirking his eyebrows.

"Shut up. If I wanted to I could vamp speed up there, but that would be a bit hard to explain." she said.

"It would be. We're almost there." he said as they neared the top. Once they finally arrived at the top, Elena was breathless as she stared out over the bell tower.

"This is incredible." she said of the breathtaking view.

"Was it worth the climb?" he asked.

" Definitely." Elena said laying her head on his shoulder.

"Let me take a picture." he said taking the camera from her. He held the camera towards them and snapped a picture of the two of them on top of the bell tower.

"This is so awesome. Here we are, two completely abnormal people, doing completely normal touristy things." she said.

"Are you ready to move on?" he asked.

"Yes. I can't wait to see more." she told him.

"Do you want to stop in a café for lunch before we continue?" he asked.

"Sure. I'm craving some human food." she agreed as they made their way back down the stairs. There was a café just a short ways down the street and they ate there. Once they were done eating they got back into the car.

"Do you want to see Ponte Vecchio?" he asked.

"What is that?" she asked.

"old bridge. There are shops lined up along the side that sell gold and silver jewelry. The bridge has been around since 1345." he said.

"Let's go take a peek." she said nodding needing a picture of the bridge that was built in 1345. They walked hand in hand back to the car and drove to the bridge.

"How many places are you taking me to, today?" she asked.

"Just a few more. We have a private tour at the most famous museum and art gallery in Florence, in about an hour." he said.

"Wow. Do they have work by artists like Michelangelo and all of them?" she asked.

"Yes." he answered.

"Wow." Elena said again.

"I am beginning to think that's your new favourite word. You say it every time you see something new." he said as they drove to the bridge. They walked hand in hand across the bridge until they came to a stand selling jewelry.

"This stuff is so beautiful." she said holding up a gold etched bracelet.

"I'll buy it for you." he said giving the woman running the stand some money.

"You didn't have to do that." she said grinning.

"I wanted to." he said taking the bracelet and fastening it around her wrist. He thanked the woman in perfect Italian and they continued walking, with Elena snapping the occasional picture.

"Thank you for my bracelet." she said reaching up to kiss his cheek softly.

"You're welcome." he said smiling at her. He glanced at his watch and sighed.

"We better get going or else we'll miss our private tour." he said turning her back towards the car and leading her back.

"I don't want to miss that. What's the gallery called?" she asked.

"The Uffizi Gallery." he told her as he sped along the streets of Florence. Being vampires they were able to get through things much quicker, but by the time they were finished there it would be nearing dinner time. The tour through the art gallery took almost two hours as Elena wanted details on all the works of art in the gallery. She wanted information on them all, and Damon wanted to laugh at how she was writing all of this down so she could tell everyone back home.

"I can't believe I've seen real work done by the real Leonardo DaVinci." she said in awe.

"Well you have. Are you ready for dinner?" he asked.

"And Michelangelo. And Botticelli." she enthused.

"Are you ready for dinner?" he asked laughing.

"Oh yeah." she answered.

"Okay. Or there is one other gallery I would like to show you before we leave." he said.

"What's in this one?" she asked getting tired.

"Michelangelo David and several other important sculptures." he said.

"Oh. We have to go." she said emphatically.

"Okay. Let's go." he said taking her hand and walking to the gallery, deciding to leave the car parked where it was. The rest of the places they had to go were in fairly close proximity to each other. They were able to make it through that gallery a bit quicker, and once they were done they went to an al fresco restaurant to eat.

"Thank you for today. This has been so amazing. I could go home tomorrow and be ecstatic about what I seen of Italy." she told him.

"I'm glad. But there is still so much more of Italy to see. Florence is just a small part of Italy. We still have Rome, Venice and other places." he said.

"I know. If this is what the rest of the places are like, I can't wait." she said.

"They are all different, and we'll be seeing lots of churches. You'll love the Roman Coliseum when we get there." he promised her.

"I can't wait. But really, thank you for this. You are the best." she said reaching across and kissing him softly and sweetly.

"You're welcome." he said as the waiter appeared. Damon ordered for both of them in perfect Italian, Elena trusted him enough to know what she would eat and what she wouldn't.

"What are we doing after this?" she asked. \

"There is a park that I want you to see. It has some of the most beautiful gardens I've ever seen." he told her.

"Okay. And after that?" she asked.

"Then if you're ready we head back to Sarteano. That's all that I have planned for today." he said.

"Okay. Sounds perfect." she said .

"Okay." he said as their food arrived. They ate in relative silence, but the silence wasn't suffocating as it used to be, now it was comfortable and familiar. What a difference one day and a new understanding of one another makes.

"How long do you think it will take us to go through the park?" she asked.

"We'll go through it until the park closes which is in about an hour." he said. She nodded and finished eating. Once they were done, Damon paid the check and they left. When the got to the park they seen more couples walking around hand in hand. It seemed like this was the place to go when you were in love.

"What is it called?" she asked.

"Boboli Gardens" he told her. She changed the setting on her camera and turned it to the night option and started taking pictures of the darkened park. There were lights adorning the paths and it made for very beautiful pictures.

"Are you ready to head home?" Damon said when he saw the security guards coming around to escort people out of the park.

"Can we take the drive home slow? We're not in any hurry." she asked.

"Of course. Let's go." he said taking her hand and leading her back to the car.

"I don't see how this trip can get any better." Elena said as they hit the highway, doing the speed limit this time.

"It will. You'll see." he said.

"It's already so perfect. What do you want to do when we get home?" she asked.

"Do you want to lay low for the rest of the night and just watch a movie?" he asked.

"That sounds perfect. Do you have popcorn?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. I'll check when we get back." he told her as they drove back towards Sarteano. The darkness and the quiet was soothing to the two vampires, Elena shut her eyes as they drove along.  
"Elena?" he asked.

"Yes." she answered.  
"Do you think we'll ever get back to where we were?" he asked letting some vulnerability seep into his voice.

"I think we will. I think we can be better than what we were. If I didn't, I wouldn't' be on this trip with you." she told him.

"I think we will too." he said smiling.

"It will just take us some time. I know I love you and I know that will probably never change." she told him. Damon breathed out a sigh of relief and continued the journey back to the house.

The first thing Elena saw was the lights of the big house.

"We're home." she said happily.

"Any ideas of what you want to watch?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter." she said smiling.

"How about you pick a movie, and I'll track down popcorn?" he suggested.

"Sounds good. Do you by any chance have "The Notebook?" she asked.

"Ha no. You'll have to pick something else for once my dear. I am not being notebooked for the hundredth time in our relationship." he said.

"Just admit it. You enjoy the movie too." she said as she walked into the TV room and looked through the shelf of movies.

"I will never ever admit that I like that atrocity." he said as he went into the kitchen.

"Fine. I've given up any hope of you ever figuring out that you like the movie." she said perusing the shelf.

"Aha. Found popcorn. How I adore Bella for buying good groceries." he said as he threw a bag into the microwave and waited for it to completely pop.

"How do you feel about "Gone with the Wind"?" she asked.

"That sounds fine to me. I like that movie, and its not for the romance. I hardly see Scarlett and Rhett as an epic couple. She's such a bitch and he's... Rhett." Damon explained.

"Oh and what do you like it for?" she asked staring at him pointedly.

"The Civil War. It's kinda nice to be able to sit back and watch it rather than be involved in it. I have a copy of this movie in every single one of my houses." he said.

"You must really love this movie." she said.

"I do. It's probably one of my favourites." he said.

"You have good taste in movies. My favourite is probably Casablanca. Although a close second would have to be Grease. The music in that movie is epic." she said.

"I am so much cooler than Danny Zuko." he said.

"I can't see it. That man was so cool." she said.

"Come on Elena. I wear a leather jacket so much better than John Travolta ever could, and I am so much cooler than Danny Zuko. There is no comparison." Damon argued.

"Do you have that movie?" she asked.

"Yes I do." he confirmed.

"Good. We can watch that tomorrow night." she said.

"Works for me. So what do you want to do tomorrow?" he asked.

"That's up to you Mr, Travel Guide." she said.

"Well we can either go somewhere, or we can stay in tomorrow. We have a month to see all of Italy and I'm not in any hurry. There are lots of things we can do around here as well." he said.

"Can we just stay here tomorrow. I could swim, read, sleep. There is lots to do here." she said.

"Then its settled tomorrow we're staying here and relaxing." he said sinking into the couch and pressing play on the DVD player as the movie started playing. Elena settled into Damon's side and laid her head on his chest as they watched the movie.

"I think this is what I miss the most from our earlier days." Damon said as he rubbed his hand up and down her back.

"Me too. We're getting it all back though." she replied.

"I know. It just takes time." he said as he focused his attention back on the Civil War era movie.


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you yet again to my amazingly awesome beta Kitty (trouble and she knows it), without you this chapter wouldn't be nearly as good. Thank you! The longest smut scene I have ever written is in this chapter, but sadly the smut does not mean there will be no more drama. The regularly scheduled relationship drama picks up next chapter again. Read and review... feed the muse and you'll get an update faster.

* * *

When Elena woke up the next morning Damon was nowhere to be found. His side of the bed was cool, signalling that he hadn't been there in a while. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, focusing her hearing to the surrounding area. She smiled when she heard him downstairs, cooking breakfast she assumed given that she heard the sizzling sound of bacon. She swung her legs out of bed and stretched before walking downstairs still wearing her pyjamas.

"Good morning." She greeted him when she walked into the kitchen. He looked so good in only a pair of black drawstring pants.

"Morning." He said smiling the boyish grin that always made her insides flutter. She was nearly certain that she was the only one who ever got to see that grin. It was her favourite out of all the expressions he had, maybe with the exception of his smirk. How she loved that smirk. He walked over and pressed a quick kiss to her lips and she smiled.

"Can I help you with anything?" She asked as she glanced around the kitchen.

"You can squeeze some orange juice if you want." He told her.

"Sure." She agreed. She couldn't help but stare at him as she made the orange juice. He was the perfect male specimen. His looks were the first thing that drew her to him, but it was his heart and his personality that kept her around. Elena watched with rapt fascination as the muscles in his back flexed as he chopped some potatoes for hash browns. She sighed audibly and he turned to look at her with the infuriatingly sexy smirk on his face.

"Like something you see?" He asked cockily.

"No. Nothing too interesting. Here's your juice." She said brushing it off.

"Uh huh. Sure." He said smirking.

"I'm going to take a quick shower. I'll be back before breakfast." Elena said scurrying out of the room. Damon shook his head and smiled, she really was too cute for her own good.

By the time he had breakfast ready, she was coming back down the stairs. Her hair was still wet but she had a pair of denim shorts and a tank top on. Even dressed so casually she really was beautiful.

"Breakfast time. It's on the terrace." Damon said gently pushing her outside.

"Oooh yummy. You went all out didn't you?" She said when she seen the small feast awaiting them.

"I couldn't decide what I wanted, so I made it all. I figure whatever we don't eat, we can take over to Bella and Antonio after breakfast." Damon said shrugging his shoulders.

"That is brilliant. Or we could invite them over." Elena suggested.

"That's a good plan too. If you want to go get them, I'll go get a couple more place settings." Damon said. Elena nodded and walked over to the guest house and knocked on the door.

"Miss Gilbert, what can I do for you this morning?" Antonio asked when he answered the door.

"Damon and I wanted to know if you and your wife would like to come by for breakfast right now. Damon made way too much food and we don't want to waste it." She said.

"We would be honoured to join you Miss Gilbert." Antonio said.

"Okay. Just come over whenever you're ready. Breakfast is ready and served." Elena said.

"We will be there shortly. Bella will love this." Antonio said as he shut the door. Elena walked back to the terrace and sat down in the chair she vacated earlier.

"Are they coming?" Damon asked.

"Yes. They will be here shortly." She answered and speared a hash brown on her fork.

"So what do you want to do today?" Damon asked.

"Let's just hang out. I don't want to plan." Elena said smiling.

"That sounds perfect." Damon said liking the sound of what she planned.

"Good morning. Thank you for inviting us to breakfast this morning." Bella said as her and Antonio walked up.

"It was our pleasure." Elena said smiling at the older couple whom she was really starting to like.

"This looks so delicious. Mister Salvatore you are a truly amazing cook." Bella complimented him.

"Thanks. This was easy, I was just a little too indecisive this morning." He said gesturing to the wide array of items to eat.

* * *

Once breakfast was finished Bella and Antonio offered to clear the dishes.  
"No I insist allow me to help you this morning. You didn't have to invite us over for breakfast." Bella said.

"No. We can do it. It's easy. It'll take no time at all." Damon argued.

"I insist Damon. Young man, take the beautiful girl and do something fun with her. I wish to clean up the kitchen." Bella said going into responsible mom mode.

"Alright then." Damon said taken aback at the tone of voice she used on him. He hadn't heard anything akin to that since his mother had been alive.

"Do you want to go for a walk? I want to see the rest of the grounds." Elena asked.

"Sure. Let's go." Damon agreed. Elena surprised him and took his hand, lacing her fingers with his. They walked slowly with their hands swinging lightly between them.

"We really should phone home and see what everyone else is up to." Elena murmured as they walked.

"Now why would we want to do that?" Damon asked sneaking a quick glance at her.

"I'm sure they're wondering if we've killed each other yet, especially with how bad we were before we left." She said.

"Hmm, I guess you're right. But if they thought either of us were in any sort of danger with each other they wouldn't have let us leave." Damon told her.

"I guess you're right, but I want to talk to Jenna." Elena said. "Caroline too." She added as an afterthought.

"I guess talking to Alaric wouldn't be so bad either. I need to make sure he's not replacing me as his best friend, although that's not really an issue. Ric can't find anyone better than me." Damon said with his cockiest smirk on his face.

"I'm sure he could if he really put his mind to it." Elena said bumping her hip with his.

"No he couldn't. There is no one out there like me." He said certainly.

"No there most definitely isn't. And I think that might be a good thing." Elena said adopting her own smirk.

"I like being one of a kind. But how about this, we call home tomorrow. Today let's just be." He said.

"Sounds good to me. Wow this place is so beautiful." She said of the grounds surrounding the house.

"I love it here. I feel at home here. Maybe it's my heritage." He said idly.

"This place just has such a homey feeling. I love it here. If we ever completely tire of Mystic Falls, I would not be adverse to moving here." She said.

"We'll keep that in mind." Damon said smiling as they continued walking.

"Do you have any good books here?" Elena asked once they were finished their walk.

"Hmm, let's go see. I don't remember what I have here." He said pondering it for a minute. They walked into one of the sitting rooms, and browsed through the antique bookshelf sitting on one wall. "This is all I have. There has to be something good there. Most of the books are old." He told her. She smiled and kissed his cheek before starting to look at books.

"I'll read "Gone with the Wind."" She said once she found an old copy of the book sitting on the shelf.

"Good luck. It's insanely long." He said.

"I know. Have you read it?" She asked curiously.

"Many times. It's probably my favourite book." He admitted.

"How did I not know that before now? We've been together for a few years now." She asked.

"I guess it never came up in conversation. While you read I'm just going to sit and relax with a couple glasses of good bourbon." He said.

"Okay. Are you going to sit in here?" She asked.

"I was going to sit on the terrace. It's nice out there." He said standing up.

"Okay. I'll stay in here. It's quiet." She said loving the room.

"Okay. I'll see you later." Damon said before he walked out of the room.

They spent the rest of the day just relaxing, relieved that they were apart for some time. Every time they were together there was an electric current racing through their bodies, and the more time they spent together the worse it got. It was making it very difficult to maintain their intention of taking it slow.

"What do you want for dinner?" Damon asked after he came back in the house.

"Whatever you make will be fine." She assured him.

"Do you just want something light?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'm not that hungry." She agreed.

"Okay." He said beginning to walk away.

"Do you want any help?" She asked awkwardly. The second he walked into the room that current had started up again.

"No. I can do it. You can keep reading." He said walking into the kitchen. Elena took a deep breath when he was gone. It seemed to be getting worse; the ache that she felt whenever he was near was getting to be unmanageable. She hoped that he felt the same. She didn't want to be the only one affected by his closeness.

For dinner he made some simple sandwiches and a salad, and they ate in silence, both feeling the tension cracking between them.

"Any idea of what you want to do tomorrow?" Damon asked clearing his throat.

"You're the tour guide." Elena answered.

"Okay. I'll think of something." Damon nodded.

"Sounds good." Elena agreed awkwardly. Conversation was not as easy as it usually was with the sexual tension circulating throughout the room. They both wanted to be with each other but neither wanted to rush it.

"You feel it too right?" He asked after a few minutes of eating in silence.

"Yes. But we can't do anything about it. We're not rushing things." She said.

"I know. I think I'm going to sleep in the spare room tonight. I don't want us to suffer through this all night too." Damon said as he finished his plate of food.

"That's probably a good idea. Don't want to rush things." She agreed, while being somewhat disappointed that he wasn't going to be sleeping beside her that night.

"Yes. I'll clean up the kitchen, you can read or do something else." Damon said once they were done eating.

"I can help if you want." She offered.

"We need to keep our distance until this electricity goes away." He told her. She nodded her head and walked into the TV room.

Damon came in after he cleaned up the kitchen and sat down beside her.

"What are you watching?" He asked staring at the screen.

"Some Italian soap opera. I don't even know what they're saying." She said shaking her head.

"I'll translate for you. Unless you want to find something in English." He said picking up the remote.

"Can you find me something in English?" She asked. He smiled and started flipping through the channels until he came to a TV comedy.

"Here." He said putting the remote on the arm of the couch. As they watched TV the tension eased off a bit, as they were partially occupied with something else. They both enjoyed the comfortable nature of sitting beside each other watching TV.

"I think I'm going to take a quick shower, then go to bed." Elena said getting off the couch after watching a few shows with him.

"Okay. I'll see you in the morning." Damon said. She leaned down and kissed his cheek before walking upstairs.

* * *

Once she was in the safety of the bedroom she stripped off her clothes and walked into the bathroom. The water adjusted quickly and she stepped under the hot spray. The water soothed her and she stayed in the shower longer than necessary. Once she was done she wrapped her hair in a towel and wrapped a large plush towel above her breasts. Elena quickly ran a brush through her hair before walking into the bedroom to search for some pyjamas to wear. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Damon standing their going through his dresser.

"Sorry. I just came in to get some... pants." He said trailing off when he sees her clad only in a towel.

"Yeah." She sighed. The attraction between the two of them seemed even more acute now since she was only in a towel. He could feel his resolve weakening, especially when he caught a whiff of her sweet arousal. This was affecting her just as much as it was him. He shook his head quickly trying to gather his thoughts.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He said as he rushed to the door.

"Damon." She sighed. The way she said his name stopped him in his tracks and he stopped to look at her. Her brown eyes were darkened with lust. The look on her face completely snapped his resolve and he walked over to her.

"Elena." He sighed before connecting their lips. He backed them against the wall and kissed her passionately. Her arms went around his back and held him to her while he kissed her with everything he had. She sighed into his mouth, giving his tongue access. She broke the kiss and moaned when his lips moved down her jaw, to her neck. His lips latched onto her pulse point as Elena runs her hands through his hair. Damon continued his journey down and kissed along the exposed half-moons of her breasts which were still covered by the towel. He had every inch of her pressed against the wall, and every inch of him was pressed against her. She moaned and pulled him back up to her lips so she could kiss him. She kissed his lower lip before biting down on it causing him to hiss. She soothed the bite mark with her tongue before repeating the same action to his upper lip. Damon took control of the kiss again and stuck his tongue into her mouth to tangle with hers. He braced himself with his arms on the wall while Elena groped everywhere she could reach on his body. She ran her hands under his shirt and felt his soft skin under her fingertips. He ground into her as he kissed her. They broke the kiss in need of air and she attacked his neck with kisses and soft bites.

"Elena." He groaned out. She threaded her fingers through his hair and kissed him again before pushing him away. He looked at her confused until her towel fell to the floor, he grinned eyes alight with anticipation. He stared unabashed before leaning in to kiss her again. He kissed her hard before breaking it and moving downward. He sucked and nibbled his way down her neck and kept going until he reached her breasts. Damon sucked a rosy peak into his mouth, while tweaking its twin between his thumb and forefinger. Elena moaned and ground into Damon's fully clothed body.

"Please." She begged, not entirely sure what she was begging for, but wanting it anyway. She had her head hung back as she took in all the pleasure he was giving her. He took his time, savouring every inch of her body, it had been too long since he had her like this. Once he was done with the first breast he moved to the other one and gave it the same attention. Elena was more turned on than she could remember ever being. Everything he was doing was pushing her closer to an orgasm she was never quite in reach of. He kissed down her quivering belly until he found her wetness. He inhaled sharply, something which used to embarrass Elena but didn't anymore.

"You smell so good." He moaned against her flesh. Elena sighed, feeling his warm breath on her bare womanhood.

Waxing and shaving had been a habit she had gotten into a couple years earlier when she saw how much he enjoyed her when she was hairless. He slipped a finger inside her and started thrusting it in and out of her heat. She groaned, keeping her vampire visage down. When he pulled his finger out he licked it clean and reinserted it.

Elena could barely keep her eyes open at the pleasure he was giving her. He replaced his finger with his mouth. He swirled his tongue inside her as he rubbed her clit with the pad of this thumb. The man was extraordinarily talented with his mouth. He was going to make her come and he was still completely clothed. He was clearly in agony though as she could see how turned on he was through his black jeans, being a vampire certainly had done something to his ability to ignore his own want for hers.

"Damon. I'm so close." She sighed as she threaded her hands through his hair unsure whether she wanted to push him away or make him finish her off. He smirked against her sensitive flesh and never stopped what he was doing below. When he returned his attention to her clit she went off, her body shook with the force of her orgasm. It had been so long since he had made her come like that. Any orgasm that either of them had over the past few months had been the result of rough fucking after intense arguments.

He slowly stood and kissed her. She could taste her juices on his lips and somehow that managed to turn her on all over again. Realizing the discomfort he must be in she gently pushed him towards the bed while stripping him. She pushed his T shirt over his head, leaving the upper body she had admired earlier that morning completely bare, when the shirt was no longer an issue she worked on the low-slung jeans, it took her no time to have them pushed around his ankles. He managed to step out of them while continuing to be backed towards the bed.

He let himself fall onto the bed when the back of his knees hit and she fell with him. Damon wrapped his arms around her as they moved back on the bed until they were in the center. Elena raised herself up on her feet, holding herself over him, and positioned his fully tumescent cock so she could sink down on him. They moaned in unison as he filled her slowly. When he was fully seated inside her she started slowly riding him. He placed his hands on her thighs and watched her move over him. There was something spectacular about having her on top, it was just as good as having her beneath him, or having her in the shower... or having her anywhere pretty much. Sex no matter how it happened was beyond incredible when it was the two of them. He sat up so he could kiss her, she immediately opened her mouth to welcome his tongue. It was an erotic dance they had perfected over the years, it came with the intimate knowledge they had of the others body.

"Shit, Elena I'm so close." He moaned, throwing his head back. They moved together, her thrusting downward and him moving up, both so close to competion. Her efforts paid off and as she exploded around him he followed almost directly behind her. She stayed where she was while she regained her senses. She had her head buried in his chest and his arms were wrapped tightly around her.

"That was so good." Elena breathed.

"One of the best." Damon agreed. When Elena was able to move she lifted herself off of him and rolled onto her spot on the bed.

"Good night." Elena said flipping off the lamp on her side of the big bed.

"Good night." Damon said rolling onto his side.


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you to my amazing beta Kitty for reading this so fast. I hope the rest of you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

When Damon woke up the next morning Elena was nowhere to be found. He supposed it was probably a good thing since he didn't know what to think about what happened last night. He rubbed the evidence of sleep from his eyes and sat up, running his hand through is hair. He swung his legs out of the bed and walked into the bathroom to take a shower, needing all his faculties fully charged before he seen Elena. He started up the shower and waited for the water to get hot before he got in. There was nothing worse than a freezing cold shower. He would be lying if he said that last night wasn't spectacular, because it was. It was so beyond amazing, it had never been that good between them before. Damon didn't know what came over them last night, but some part of him said that it was too soon. He just hoped that it didn't make it any worse for them. They had been getting along so well since they had arrived, but his raging libido had the chance of ruining it completely.

Elena said outside on the terrace with her hands wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee. Last night was not supposed to happen, but it had and as much as she wanted to she couldn't just ignore it. Their relationship was on such unstable ground at the moment, and something like that could end it for them. Elena saw Bella outside pruning the roses and she offered the older woman a small smile.

"Good morning Miss Gilbert, how are you this morning?" She asked kindly.

"I'm fine." Elena said reflexively.

"You look really contemplative." Bella noted sitting down across from her.

"I have a lot going on in my head." Elena admitted shaking her head.

"Like what? Do you want to come with me to take care of the flowers? If you want you can tell me anything, I find being in the gardens and the flowers helps me with any problems I may be having." Bella offered.

"That would be lovely, thank you." Elena said smiling warmly.

"Good. Let's go. I find that my roses really help me when I am fighting with Antonio." Bella confessed knowingly.

"How do you do that? Know my problems are about me and Damon?" She asked staring at the older woman.

"I've been around for a long time. I know how to read people. You have that look on your face telling anyone who is looking that you have man problems. I am here to listen if you want me too." Bella said as they walked across the grounds to the rose bushes on the east end of the house. Bella gave Elena a pair of gloves and they started pruning the roses.

"Things got a little heated between us last night." Elena confessed.

"Fighting or intimacy?" Bella asked knowingly.

"Intimacy. It was so perfect, it felt so right. But it was too soon. We know that in order to be as strong or stronger than we were we need to work things out before we fall back into bed again. It was too soon." She said.

"Who instigated it?" Bella asked.

"He kissed me but I didn't push him away. It was both of our faults." She admitted.

"It's good that you can admit that. Why do you think it was too soon?" Bella asked.

"I don't know if it was for sure. But we just got back together, and we're taking it slow. We don't want to rush things this time. I feel that it was too soon for us to take that step." Elena confessed.

"Maybe it was the right time to take that step. You'll never know until you talk to Damon dear." Bella said patting her hand.

"I know. But I know if I talk to him and he says the same thing I said I will feel rejected. But if he doesn't I'll feel awkward." Elena fretted.

"But regardless it is a conversation you need to have. What are you guys doing today? Are you hitting the road again?" Bella asked.

"As far as I know. I haven't talked to Damon since yesterday." Elena admitted.

"Well here he comes now, if you do decide to go somewhere today, the car ride would be a good time to talk." Bella said winking. Elena smiled at Bella and stood up to face Damon who was walking over to them. The expression on his face made it clear that he wasn't listening to their conversation, which was good.

"Morning. So what do you want to do today?" Damon asked, deciding to just brush the sex off to the side until he knew how to deal with it.

"I don't know. What do you want to do?" She asked.

"Well we can go see the ocean. Spend the night there at a bed and breakfast that's right on the beach." Damon suggested knowing she'd like the beach.

"Ah the beach..." Elena sighed.

"Is that a yes?" He asked.

"Yes. I think that's a great idea. How long is the drive?" She asked.

"A couple hours. I'll email the bed and breakfast and book us a room overnight, if that's what you want to do." He offered.

"That sounds perfect." Elena said with an almost dreamlike expression on her face, her issues with the sex from the night before temporarily forgotten. Damon turned and walked back into the house and Elena turned back to Bella.

"A couple hours in the car together. It's just what you two need." Bella said.

"Or it could be what breaks us." Elena noted.

"I doubt that. I've only known you for a few days now, but I've known Damon for a long time. I see something special between the two of you. Something like intimacy that you deem to be too soon is not going to break you. You look at him like I look at my dear Antonio." Bella said patting Elena's hand.

"Thank you Bella. But I should go pack an overnight bag." Elena said.

"Do you know what will help a young relationship like yours? More sex. Pack a sexy bikini and hopefully get your relationship the nudge it needs to get sexy again." Bella said.

"But that's what put us in this situation. The sex happened too early." Elena stated.

"I know but if it happens again, it's supposed to. I firmly believe that if something happens more than once it's supposed to happen." Bella said.

"Thank you." Elena said before walking back towards the house. She met up with Damon on his way upstairs.

"This really was a brilliant idea Damon. I've wanted to see the beach." Elena said.

"I thought you would enjoy it." He said shrugging.

When they were both ready to go, they walked downstairs with more distance than there had been yesterday. Elena sighed knowing that the sex really did push them further apart.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

"Yeah. Let's go." Elena answered, following Damon out to the Ferrari. Damon started the car and peeled out of the driveway. Bella waved at them from the front walk of her guest house. When they hit the highway the silence got really awkward. About halfway to the coast Damon had finally had enough.

"What the hell is your problem?" He demanded.

"Nothing." She said shrugging her shoulders.

"Elena what is your problem?" He asked speaking slower, enunciating each word.

"Last night." She answered not wanting to delve into it.

"What about last night?" He asked knowing they had to talk about it sometime. May as well be now.

"You shouldn't have done that." Elena answered.

"Ah, so you think all of that was my fault?" He asked getting angry again and raising his voice.

"You kissed me!" She yelled.

"You could have said no!" He yelled back as he kept complete control over the car.

"When was I supposed to say no? You walked in and kissed me, you gave me no choice." She yelled.

"Any time before I shoved my dick into you would have been fine. You had lots of fucking time Elena. I won't let you put all the blame on me this time." He seethed. Somehow knowing that he was right, she turned her head and stared out the window while Damon watched out the windshield.

After a couple of hours of tense silence Damon pulled up at the beachfront bed and breakfast. Once the car came to a complete stop Elena jumped out and grabbed her bag from the car before walking to the front door. He followed silently behind her. When they walked in the owner appeared and welcomed them.

"We have a room booked under Salvatore." He said showing the elderly lady his confirmation email.

"Of course Mr Salvatore. Come with me." She said gesturing for them to follow her up the stairs. She led them to a large room complete with a private bathroom and a couch.

"Thank you." Damon said.

"I will leave you two, dinner is at 6. My name is Rosa if you need me. Call at any time." She assured them.

"Thank you." Elena said. Rosa walked out of the room, shutting the door on her way.

"I'll sleep on the couch." Damon said taking his bag over to the plush couch.

"Fine." Elena said shrugging her shoulders, trying to remain aloof. It seemed that in the matter of a couple hours all the progress that they had made as a couple had been destroyed.

Dinner was an awkward affair. The table was silent with the sole exception of forks scraping against plates.

"Is your room satisfactory?" Rosa asked.

"Yes its fine." Elena assured the woman.

"That's good. Are you going to visit the beach tomorrow?" She asked.

"I plan to." Elena answered.

"I'm sure you'll love it. It will be nice in the morning if you choose to go." She told her.

"Thank you." Elena said before the table got silent again. When dinner was done and the plates were cleared they walked upstairs. Elena locked herself in the bathroom and Damon sat down on the couch and turned the small TV on. When Elena came out a few minutes later Damon was watching some American crime drama on TV. Elena crawled into bed and shut off her lamp, still having nothing to say to him.

"You're going to have to speak to me sometime." He said staring at her completely still form laying in the bed. "Fine." He said when she didn't respond a few minutes later. When his show was over he grabbed the blanket he had taken from the foot of the bed earlier and draped it over himself. He closed his eyes but didn't fall asleep.

The next morning, Elena woke up after only sleeping a couple hours during the night. She saw Damon on his side facing the back of the couch, so she got up and as quietly as she could went into the bathroom. She quickly washed up and dressed in a white bikini and a sarong before silently leaving the room. She walked downstairs and to the french doors facing the beach.

"The beach is lovely in the morning. Enjoy." Rosa said seeing Elena.

"Thank you." Elena said opening the doors.

"Is your husband coming down?" Rosa asked.

"He's not my husband." Elena said before walking out onto the sand.

When Damon decided to get up, after not sleeping a wink the entire night. Somehow over the past few years he got to the point where he couldn't sleep unless she was beside him. It was weak and pathetic, but it was the truth. Even at their worst they had always slept in the same bed. The argument wasn't as bad as some of the other ones they had, but somehow it had the worst effect on their relationship. He walked downstairs after pulling on some jeans and a t shirt, seeing Rosa sitting at the kitchen table.

"Your lady friend is outside on the beach. You should really consider marrying her. You would be a beautiful couple." Rosa said kindly.

"We've been together for more than four years. We've just hit a rough patch." He said.

"Well she is not acting like she's been in a relationship for over four years. There is a group of young men talking to her and she doesn't seem to be pushing them away." Rosa stated with a small frown on her face.

"She's not comfortable with them either. I can tell by the tension in her body." He assured the older woman.

"You can tell that from over here?" She asked shocked.

"I know her better than I know myself." Damon explained.

"That's good. It's beautiful out there." Rosa said.

"It is. I'm heading out there now." Damon told her.

"You should talk to her. If you hit a rough patch, you should apologize for your part in it and talk it out. The only way to fix it is communication. So many couples think that intimacy is the way to go to fix issues, but it's not. It just hides it temporarily." She explained.

"Oh believe me, we know all about that. Sex is what got us into this problem. We also used to use it to solve our problems. I'll go talk to her. I'm not used to talking about this with people." Damon said.

"Go talk to your woman." She said smiling.

"You're kinda hot. Have I mentioned that before? Girls in white bikini's always turn me on." The dark haired tourist said ogling her tanned midriff and exposed cleavage.

"You've mentioned that a few times. How many times do I have to say I'm not interested? I have someone." She said rolling her eyes.

"If you have someone, where is he? If you were my girl, I wouldn't be letting you out here by yourself." He said doing a poor imitation of Damon's smirk.

"He's around. Just because he's not here with me now, doesn't mean he doesn't exist." Elena said.

"Sure. But I really think you should come hang with us. You're hot." He said smirking again.

"She said no. A few times I think." Damon said walking onto the blanket she was lounging.

"Who the hell are you?" The guy asked.

"I'm the someone she mentioned earlier." Damon told the guy.

"He is. Now scurry along. Go find someone else to annoy." Elena said brushing him off.

"Fine but baby you don't know what you're missing." The guy said attempting the smirk again.

"Somehow I'll manage to recover from disappointment, I'm sure I'll be fine." She said dryly. "Thank you." Elena said once they group of guys walked away.

"We may be fighting right now but you still belong to me." Damon said seriously. Elena didn't respond, she didn't know what to say, mostly because it was completely true. She unequivocally and irrevocably belonged to him and she always would.

"We need to talk." He sighed knowing he would have to start the conversation yet again.

"There's nothing that needs to be said this time." Elena sighed.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you. It's my fault." He said

"I don't want you to be sorry." She breathed. She was sick and tired of lying about it; telling him that it was wrong. The timing may have been wrong but it felt so right. Anything that felt so right couldn't possibly be wrong.

"What?" He asked.

"I don't want you to be sorry. I don't think it was wrong." She explained, sitting up so she could look into his crystalline blue eyes.

"We promised to take our time but we rushed things." He said.

"But it happened so perfectly. There was no hesitance and we fit together perfectly as we always did. Anything that happened so smoothly can't be wrong. Maybe our heads were telling us it was still too soon, but our hearts and our bodies knew it was just right" She said trying to convince him.

" I don't know... there was a reason we wanted to wait." Damon said shaking his head.

"Did it feel right to you?" She asked.

"It felt so good. I wanted you so bad that night." He admitted.

"I wanted you too, desperately. We need to stop trying to control it. The best thing about us together is the unpredictability. We never know what's going to happen the next day. Every day with you is something different and I love that. Our relationship has ups and downs and it's exactly what I want. If I wanted it to be easy everyday then I would still be with Stefan." She explained.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes." She said with no hesitation at all in her voice.

" Okay." He said taking a deep breath.

"Okay?" She asked.

"Okay. I believe you, and we're going to do it your way. But I think we should so something tonight, just you and me." He said.

"Like a date?" She clarified.

"Yeah. We haven't gone out on a good old fashioned date in a long time." He said.

"Okay." She said smiling.

"This time let's not put any restrictions on us. If it happens to lead to sex let's just embrace it." He suggested.

"That sounds so good to me. Do you think we'll be okay?" She asked.

"I think so. We just need to stop hurting each other. I'm sorry for yelling at you in the car yesterday." He apologized, reaching over and brushing a few strands of hair out of her face.


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you yet again to my beyond amazing beta Kitty for correcting this so fast. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Writing is my escape from the stress of exploding apartment complexes and potential temporary homelessness so I hope you all enjoy what I cooked up here. I really like this chapter it is mostly fluff with a lemon at the end. ) Take my mind off my crappy day and let me know what you think of this chapter. Thanks in advance.

* * *

Elena piled her hair up on top of her head as she wrapped a towel around her when she stepped out of the shower. She wiped the steam off the mirror and smiled at her reflection. Damon was taking her out on a good old fashioned date, and she was excited. He had told her to dress nice and she intended on blowing his mind. She wanted to see the breath sucked out of his body when she came down the stairs. She wanted to go back to Sarteano tomorrow being happy and in love with him. Even though being in love was never a problem. No matter how much they fought, her feelings for him never changed. She couldn't wait to walk up the front step of the big house, holding his hand with her head on his shoulder. She knew that she was possibly thinking too far ahead, that they had to get through this evening first. But with the way she was feeling she didn't see how it wouldn't be the perfect evening. She loved him dearly.

After a moment in front of the mirror just thinking she walked into the bedroom and dug through her suitcase for the one little black dress she took with her everywhere. It was one of those "just in case" items. She never knew when he would feel the urge to just go out and have fun. Not entirely sure what was going to transpire that evening she put on some sexy lingerie underneath the black dress. She didn't want to go too obvious so she went with a light pink set that pushed her breasts up, creating a tantalizing cleavage. When she was satisfied with her lingerie she stepped into the dress and pulled it up over her hips and slid the straps over her shoulders. She reached behind her and zipped up the dress and glanced at herself in the full length mirror in the bedroom. Nodding her head impressed she slipped on a pair of strappy heels and went back into the bathroom to deal with her hair and makeup.

She pulled her hair back and to the side exposing her neck, one of his favourite spots on her body, and put teardrop shaped diamond earrings in her ears. Damon had given her the earrings a couple years ago after a particularly bad fight that he later felt bad about. She darkened her lashes and slicked some lip gloss on before deciding that she was finished. Her vampire hearing could hear Damon downstairs pacing back and forth. She could almost imagine him panicking about whether or not she would ditch him. She could never and would never ditch him. He had too much of a hold on her. Satisfied with her appearance she left room and walked downstairs, hoping he liked how she looked.

He paced back and forth, ensuring that he kept it at human pace because of Rosa sitting at the table watching him with a small smile on her face.

"You look like my son when he was waiting for my daughter in law their first date." Rosa mentioned.

"Elena has always had this power over me." He said shrugging.

"Hope she always does. When the passion, the love and the desperation to see each other goes away then you have nothing left." She shared.

"I'm still desperate for her, still passionate and I still love her more than anything. That's not a problem." He told her when he heard the sound of high heels coming down the stairs. He snapped around and waited for her to come into view. How did he always end up at the bottom of a set of stairs waiting for her? There was the Miss Mystic Falls pageant years earlier when he had fallen madly in love with her. There was every party they ever went to together. He was always done before her, and he loved watching her come down the stairs. She always took his breath away. She was awe inspiring. When she got to the bottom step he held his hand out and she took it eagerly.

"You look so beautiful." He whispered leaning in and kissing her cheek.

"You don't look so bad yourself." She said appraising his look.

"Do you want to get out of here?" He asked.

"Yeah. Let's go. Where are we going?" She asked curiously.

"Have a good night!" Rosa called.

"Thank you. Now Mr. Salvatore where are we going?" She asked hopefully. She was excited. It had been far too long since the last time they had done this.

"Out for dinner, then out dancing. Simple evening, but quality together time." He explained.

"That sounds perfect. We haven't been out dancing in so long." She sighed happily.

"Let's get out of here. We have reservations." He said opening the car door for her and she slipped into the passenger seat. Damon walked around to the other side and slipped in behind the wheel. The soft purr of the engine started up and he peeled away from the bed and breakfast they were staying in.

"This food is so incredible. I'm sure you could make something like this at home right?" She asked as she ate another forkful of the delicious pasta.

"Of course I can." He remarked smiling.

"The food is so good it's almost orgasmic." She moaned with her mouth full of food.

"No orgasming over food. I want you to save all of those for me." He told her shaking his finger at her.

"Right of course. You want all my pleasure. Right." She said grinning.

"You know I do. I always do. Even if it doesn't happen tonight." He murmured.

"I'm thinking it's fairly possible that it's going to happen tonight. I miss you." She whispered.

"We'll see how the night goes on." He told her. After some authentic tiramisu for dessert Damon left some money on the table and took Elena's hand again.

"Where are we going dancing?" Elena asked.

"There's a club a little ways away." He said unlocking the car door and letting her in first.

"What kind of dancing?" She asked curiously.

"The only kind I like. The kind where I get to hold you in my arms." He told her.

"People need to give you more credit for being romantic. You're quite good at it." She said affectionately.

"No one knows me as well as you do." He murmured.

"I'm glad. I like being the only one who knows you." She whispered as he drove a couple blocks to get to the dance club. There were couples walking in hand in hand and they could hear the music from outside. It was the kind of music that made for incredibly sexy dancing.

"Ah I know what you mean. This is the kind of dancing you do. It's practically having sex on the dance floor. I thought that was mostly Spanish dancing?" She asked.

"It is. But this isn't a strictly Italian club. This is a serious dance club where this is the kind of music they play. For people who just want to let loose there is another place down the street. Let's go. I want to show everyone else up. We can do it much better than everyone else." He smirked.

"I know we can. We have an innate sexual knowledge about each other's bodies. It would only make sense if we were better at this." She told him dryly.

"Very true." He agreed as they walked into the club hand in hand.

"Do you want a drink?" He asked when they were inside.

"Sure. I'll have whatever you're having as long as it's not bourbon." She told him.

"Alright. Be right back. Don't garner too much attention while I'm gone. After all you look utterly delicious tonight." He told her kissing her temple.

"I'll try." She replied dryly.

Only minutes later a tall, dark and handsome guy strutted over seeing her alone.

"Hey baby." He said smirking widely.

"Hi." She greeted him, oozing disinterest from her pores.

"Wanna dance? You look like you could move." He asked, flirting outrageously.

"I'm good. I'm waiting for my boyfriend. He's getting me a drink." She said smiling sweetly.

"Well the line for drinks is long enough that he won't notice your absence. One dance. I promise I'll make it worth your while." He whispered in her ear. Elena rolled her eyes at the guy.

"Believe me he would notice my absence." She argued.

"Have you on a short leash?" He laughed.

"No. It's just we're really attuned to each other. He wouldn't be happy that you're attempting to flirt with me." She hinted.

"This isn't flirting. When I start flirting you'll know it baby." He stepped closer to her. She could smell the alcohol on him and she rolled her eyes. She caught Damon's eyes in the line and he smirked at her. It was clear in the way he looked at her that he wasn't the least bit worried about the guy. She glared at Damon, and fought the urge to compel the guy.

"Oh God, it gets worse?" She asked feigning terror.

"I don't think I ever introduced myself. The name is Sebastian. I'm on vacation with some buddies. What's your name beautiful?" He asked running his hand down her arm. Elena visibly cringed back and glared at him.

"Elena. But it's time for you to run along. I'm not interested. I think I've already made myself clear." She spoke firmly.

"One dance and then I'll leave you alone." He insisted.

"You are going to walk away and go strike out with another girl." Elena said her gaze focusing on his, causing his to become slightly unfocused.

"I'm going to walk away and strike out with another girl." He said monotone.

"Very good." She said grinning as Damon walked back over with a glass of bourbon and something red in another glass. It looked like he was trying to keep his laughter in check.

"I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did." He laughed.

"Don't you dare laugh at me! Come on, let's dance." She hissed taking his hand and dragging him onto the dance floor. They left their drinks on the table not too worried if someone decided to do something to the drinks. They would know about it anyways. A faster song started playing and he pulled her into his arms and moved her around the dance floor expertly. Other couples started quickly started leaving the dance floor not wanting to be shown up by the inhumanly beautiful couple. Damon smirked and doubled his efforts making sure everyone knew just how good he was. His smirk grew wider when he heard the hushed whispers of the crowd that continued to grow.

"I wish I had a man who could move like that." "I wonder where he learned to move like that." "A man that can move like that must be spectacular in the sack."

Elena chuckled under her breath as she heard the comments.

"Down boy. Your ego doesn't need to get any bigger." She told him unable to keep a straight face.

"Haven't you heard? A man that can move like me must be spectacular in the sack." He gloated.

"You already knew that." She told him.

"Oh I do. But they don't." He said of the still whispering women.

"Maybe I should tell them." She hinted.

"Maybe you shouldn't. I'm not done dancing with you. After we dance then we're going back to the bed and breakfast. What happens then is still undecided. Only one prerequisite, I have to be allowed to sleep in the same bed with you tonight. I didn't sleep worth a shit last night." He admitted.

"You can sleep with me tonight. I thought that was a given." She said as she circled her hips around his.

After a couple hours and several longing glances they decided it was time to head back. When they got back to the bread and breakfast they walked inside toward the stairs.

"Do you want to take a walk on the beach with me first?" She asked stopping him from climbing the stairs.

"Sure." He said taking her hand and slipping out the back door onto the white sand beach. Their hands swung between them as they walked slowly. The moon shone on the ocean as they walked slowly.

"I love it out here. I almost don't want to go home at the end of the month." Elena sighed.

"We don't have to I guess. I own the house Elena, we can stay forever if you want." He told her.

"I would love that. But you know we can't." She sighed.

"Why not?" He asked.

"Jenna and Ric. Jeremy. Stefan. There are lots of reasons." She murmured.

"I guess you're right. But we can spend half a year there and half a year here. There are always compromises." He pointed out.

"I know. We'll work something out. Are you ready to head inside?" She asked.

"If you are." He told her.

"I'm ready." She agreed as they walked back to the house slowly.

When they were shut in their bedroom Elena immediately went into the bathroom and washed her face of the makeup and took her hair down. When she came back down Damon was clad in a pair of black silk sleep pants.

"Can you help me with my dress?" She asked.

"Sure." He agreed getting up and walking over to her. He slid the zipper down her spine, gently caressing the skin as it appeared. The breath caught in her throat at the gentle touch. "There you go." His whispered voice huskier than it was before.

"Damon." She whispered. She knew the effect that his name falling from her lips like that had on him.

"Elena?" He asked.

"I think I want you." She whispered.

"You have to know Elena. I'm not taking that step again until we're both sure." He said refusing to face her. He didn't want her to see how much her words affected him. He wanted her more than she could ever guess. He heard the soft thud of her dress hitting the floor, and the sound of her kicking her shoes off her feet.

"Damon." She whispered again.

"Elena we are not making love again until you are completely sure." He hissed as he spun around to face her. When he seen her standing before him completely naked all the breath was effectively sucked out of his body.

"I'm sure. I love you. I want you. I need you." She whispered.

"Fuck." He hissed. Feeling his surrender she walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge, not at all self-conscious about being naked in front of him. He took a couple steps over to where she was seated and she reached out and slipped her hand under the waist band of his pants pulling him closer. She slipped both her hands under the waistband and ran them around under her hands were on his toned ass.

"I want you." She whispered as he stood completely still before her. She moved her hands out and took his placing them on her breasts needing him to touch her. She pushed his pants down and he stepped out of them as he slowly started kneading her pliant flesh. She laid down pulling him with her until he was lying on top of her.

"You're going to have to take the reins this time. I'm not doing anything that you might be pissed about later." He warned her. Obliging him she flipped him underneath her and settled herself on top of his body. She leaned down and kissed him with everything she had. He kissed her back, just not with the same level of passion and need that he usually exuded.

"Damon be here with me." She begged.

"Okay." He said surrendering. She gyrated over him, allowing his bare length to slip and slide between her folds. She groaned every time he nudged her clit. She could feel his length twitching; begging to get inside her. Nearly delirious with need she allowed him to slip inside her and started rocking. She circled her hips and lifted herself off of him before slipping back down. He cupped her breasts and ran his hands down her entire body. He sat up so he could kiss her, completely changing the angle in which they were making love. She hissed at the newfound pleasure and wrapped her arms tight around him needing him to stay where he was. The position was perfect for him as it made her so much tighter than she already was.

"Fuck... you feel so good." She groaned as she fought to keep her eyes open. She knew he loved seeing her eyes as they made love. They always displayed the depth of the emotions she felt. Likewise with his. Their gazes locked; blue on brown as they slowly rocked to completion. His arms wrapped tight around her and hers around him. It really limited the movement she was able to make but there was no more intimate position than that. .

"I'm close." She whispered.

"Come for me." He almost begged feeling close to climax. She connected their lips, kissing him with everything she had as she felt the tremors from her orgasm take her over. She trembled in his embrace as he thrust into her fighting for his orgasm. He moaned when he found his release and spilled inside her. He fell onto his back with Elena sprawled across him as he tenderly ran a hand down her back soothing her.

"That was so perfect." Elena enthused.

"No regrets? No anger?" He clarified.

"Nope. None at all. What about you?" She wondered.

"None at all. I feel nothing but innate satisfaction." He admitted.

"Me too. Wanna do it again?" She asked eagerly.


	9. Chapter 9

Thank you again to my brilliant beta Kitty for making this good. She is the difference in a okay chapter and a great chapter.

* * *

The top was down on the car and the music played loudly as the vampire couple made their way back to Sarteano. For once he kept the needle at the speed limit, not in any hurry to get back.

"Last night was so perfect." Elena sighed. Her long brown hair blew in the wind and she had a wide smile on her face.

"Tonight will be even more perfect." He told her with a secret smile on his face.

"You have plans for tonight too?" Elena asked excitedly.

"Yep." He murmured popping the "P"."

"Care to tell me what they are?" She asked batting her eyes at him.

"Nope." He told her.

"Please... I'll make it worth your while." She prompted.

"I'm sure you would, but that doesn't change anything. I'm still not telling you." He told her pressing a kiss to her hand.

"Damon..." She whined.

"Don't whine Elena, it's not attractive." Damon told her smirking.

"Not even when I do it?" She asked jutting her lower lip out.

"Not even when you do it baby." He affirmed.

"Damn it." Elena sighed looking out her window. Reaching into the center console of the car, Elena grabbed her camera and snapped a picture of the Italian countryside. She loved this country, it was so beautiful and she would love to spend more time there. Elena knew that if she asked Damon, he would stay. He would convince her to stay in Italy, potentially forever.

"I can't wait to get back to the house. Maybe a shower... relaxing in the hot tub... bed. Unless you have a better plan." Elena suggested, her eyes glinting.

"I told you already, I have a plan for this evening." He reminded her.

"Does in involve the hot tub or the bathtub in our room?" She asked.

"Perhaps after. We're not going to be at the house for much of the night." He told her.

"Where are we going this time?" She asked a little disgruntled. She was hoping for a quiet night at home, but evidently that wasn't going to happen. The scenery changed a few minutes later into lush farmland, the image of Sarteano.

"Almost home." She breathed.

"I'm sure Bella missed you. She's grown fond of you." Damon murmured.

"I like her too." Elena admitted.

Damon parked in his usual spot in front of the house and got out of the car. Bella was outside pruning the rose bushes when they showed up. She stood up and offered them a smile.

"How was your trip?" She asked walking over to the couple who were clearly happier than when they left.

"It was wonderful, he made it wonderful. Best date night ever." Elena murmured happily.

"You two are considerably happier than when you left here." Bella noted.

"We worked it out." Elena shrugged, reaching up and kissing Damon's cheek softly.

"I'm going inside." Damon told her kissing her quickly and turning towards the house.

"Are you going to finalize plans for tonight?" She asked curiously.

"There is nothing to finalize." He told her smirking, knowing the mystery was going to drive her crazy.

"Damon!" Elena called annoyed.

"I know you want to know, but you will have to wait my dear. Find something to occupy yourself until it's time to leave

again." He told her as he walked into the house.

"Do you want to help me with the flowers?" Bella asked knowingly.

"Yes, thank you. Since he's being an ass and won't tell me what we're doing tonight." Elena called loud enough for him to hear. She heard him chuckle as he walked into the house, and she rolled her eyes.

"What do you want me to wear?" Elena asked a few hours later from the massive walk in closet.

"Something comfortable." He told her smirking, knowing the non-committal answer would drive her mad.

"A dress, shorts, jeans? What should I wear Damon?" Elena demanded annoyed at him.

"Well, a dress wouldn't be the best bet for where we're going." He told her shrugging.

"God I hate you." Elena muttered as she slipped into a pair of jeans. He walked up behind her and placed his hands on her hips, turning her to face him.

"You don't hate me." He told her, caressing her cheeks softly.

"Ah yes I think I do." She told him petulantly.

"No, by your own admission you love me." He smirked.

"I lied." She whispered, distracted by his close proximity.

"You can't lie to save your life Elena Gilbert." He whispered before kissing her ever so softly. He pulled away before she even got close to getting her fill of kissing him.

"No." She said trying to pull him back to her lips.

"No. We have to get ready to go." He stated stepping out of her embrace, when it was the only place he wanted to be.

"We could always just stay here... make a little love... She suggested hoping he would take her suggestion.

"Nope, we have dinner reservations." He alerted her.

"Dinner reservations?! I'm wearing jeans and a t shirt." Elena screeched.

"It's not a fancy restaurant. Very casual, I just thought that you'd want to eat before we hit our next destination." He told her.

"You thought right, but I still want to know where this next destination is." Elena muttered.

"I'm not telling, though I'm positive you will enjoy it." He told her picking up her hand and kissing the back of it sweetly.

"You're too sweet for your own good. I can't stay mad at you when you're like this." Elena muttered.

"I'm glad, now let's get going." He suggested placing his hand on the small of her back and leading her out of the bedroom. She could feel the heat from his hand and somehow just the act of touching her lower back made her want him desperately. She was unlikely to survive the evening if those illicit touches kept up.

The car ride to the small outdoors cafe was fraught with sexual tension, as was any alone time they spent together.

"This is where we're eating?" Elena asked surprised that Damon would take her to a place like that. He always seemed to prefer the fancy restaurants where he could throw his impressive cash around, giving her everything she wanted.

"Yep, this place is amazing. It's been here since last time I was here, I knew the original owners." He explained to her.

"This is so not your style." She said before he placed his hand on her back again.

"Are you trying to torture me?" Elena asked as he led her to a table set for two.

"Not intentionally." He noted.

"Ah right." She snorted as a waiter immediately came to their table. Damon conversed with him in perfect Italian and ordered for the two of them. Him taking control like that made her hotter than she was before. She squeezed her thighs together to relieve the agony and he simply smirked at her.

"Something getting you hot Elena?" He whispered.

"You know what you do to me." She muttered.

"Mmhmm." He murmured as his foot snuck across to her side of the table and surreptitiously ran up her leg. She gasped and nearly choked on the wine that was poured for them immediately after sitting down. She coughed and glared at him while he shot her an innocent look.

"That look doesn't belong anywhere near your face Damon. I don't think you've ever been innocent." Elena muttered still scowling at him.

"Sure I was... maybe when I was a baby." He suggested.

"I'm talking about after you learned to speak." Elena muttered taking a bread stick out of the basket in the middle of the table. His feet continued to play with hers under the table and she couldn't fight back a smile that appeared on her face. Their relationship was so easy at the moment, it took her back to the time right after she transitioned when they were the happiest as a couple.

"I love you." She whispered taking his hand in hers across the table. He grinned and pulled their joined hands up to press a kiss to the back of hers.

"I want you so bad." She whispered not wanting anyone else in the outdoor dining area to overhear her.

"You're just going to have to wait. A quickie in the bathroom or in my car is not on my list of things to do today." He told her kissing the back of her hand again.

"How about a quickie at the next place you take me?" She asked hopefully.

"Not going to happen. We happen to be going to a very public location with hundreds of people." He alerted.

"Good lord why?" She asked annoyed and desperate.

They ate their meals in relative silence as Elena tried to overcome her unfortunate arousal. She wanted him but he didn't seem willing to accommodate her. Once they were both finished he left money on the table and led her back out to the car. The air between them crackled with acute need as they walked side by side, hands clasped and swinging gently in between them.

"So you're saying I can't convince you to take me quickly in the backseat of your car?" She asked with an almost pleading lilt to her voice.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Damon affirmed. Elena hissed and sank into the passenger seat of the car.

"We're going to a carnival?" Elena asked excitedly when she heard the screaming and chattering that always accompanied a carnival.

"You figured that out and it's not even in sight yet." Damon laughed.

"I know what carnivals sound like. They sound like... freedom." Elena tried to explain.

"I thought you might enjoy this. It's the last night that it's here." He told her as he parked the car as far to the back of the parking lot as possible.

"You know this parking spot has its advantages." Elena noted as she leaned over closer to him in the cramped space.

"Have you ever had sex in a Ferrari? Not fun, no space to move." He told her.

"You're really going to make me wait." She sighed.

"Yes I am. I may kiss you at the top of the Ferris Wheel though." He bargained.

"You better do much more than kiss me at the top of the Ferris Wheel." She stated petulantly.

"As much fun as fucking on the top of the Ferris Wheel seems to be, I think I'll have to pass." He murmured.

"Fine, I give up. We'll do this your way. I want cotton candy." She stated steering him through the gates and wandering the grounds looking for a cotton candy stand. When she found it, she got some money from Damon and paid for a bag.

"Do you want to sit down and eat that?" He asked. She nodded and he led her to an unoccupied bench. Elena alternated eating pieces of cotton candy and feeding pieces to Damon. He seductively sucked the confection of her fingers spiking her arousal. After several long minutes the cotton candy was empty and Elena stood up.

"You're cruel you know." She told him reaching out to take his hand.

"I'm aware... just think about how amazing it will be when we get home." He told her and she elbowed him in the ribs.

"I don't think I'll be able to wait until we get home." She told him as they made their way over to the Ferris Wheel.

"I hate lines." He alerted her.

"I know you do baby." She teased, patting his cheek condescendingly. The line slowly got shorter and they eventually made their way to the front of the line.

"Finally. I happen to like the Ferris Wheel." He told her as they sat down in their car and pulled the bar over their laps. Damon slung his arm around her shoulder and she scooted a bit closer to him, laying her head on his shoulder. She kissed his chest through his shirt and he kissed the top of her head. She snuck her hand into his lap and lightly scratched at the inside of his thigh. He glanced at her warning her to stop what she was doing. She smirked at him and continued her ministrations. He covered her hand with his and held it still.

"Stop." He told her before kissing her quickly. She snuck her tongue into his mouth, deepening the kiss.

"All I can think about is having you." Elena whispered as the Ferris Wheel continued its rotation.

"Occupy yourself with something else." He instructed her.

"I don't want to, I want to occupy myself with you." She whined.

"Not going to happen until later." He reminded her.

"But it will happen?" She clarified with a smile on her face.

"If you're good." He agreed. She squealed and threw her arms around him, not caring in the least that the car started wobbling. Even if they did fall out of there it wouldn't kill them, being a vampire was a handy little trick in situations such as that.

"I'll be good. I promise." She vowed.

"You'd better. I can smell you." He reminded her. He knew if she had still been human she would have blushed at that comment.

"Of course you can. It's been you who has been torturing me all fricken night." She argued.

"Baby that's my job." He reminded her as the wheel started moving again after having them trapped at the top for a moment.

"What do you want to do now?" He asked once they were off the Ferris Wheel.

"Since I know my answer is not going to be accepted, I would say the Tilt a Whirl." She suggested.

"Done." He agreed as he led her over to the spinning ride. She squealed and screamed on the ride, and had a wide smile on her face. Even through her frustration and her need for him she was clearly having fun. They went on every ride more than once when Damon finally told Elena that they could go home now.

"Finally." She cheered as she took his hand and practically dragged him away from the carnival.

"Did you have fun at least?" He asked when they were back at the Ferrari.

"I had a blast, thank you for tonight baby. I've always loved carnivals." She told him.

"Good, then was the sexual torture worth it in the end?" He asked.

"It will be once I get some relief, as of right now I hate you for it." She told him.

"I'll make it better, I promise." He told her.

"You'd better, on second thought why don't you make it better right here right now?" She asked hopefully.

"Nah, we'll wait until we get home." He denied. She scowled out the open window until she saw the lights of the big house.

"Yay we're home." She cheered once the car had stopped. She leaped out of the car and dragged him into the house, slamming the door behind her.


	10. Chapter 10

Thank you for betaing this so quick Kitty.

* * *

Elena didn't even wait until they were up in the bedroom before she started tearing her way through his clothing.

"Maybe we should take this upstairs." He moaned as she worked his way down his chest, alternating between licking and nibbling.

"No, I want you. I can't wait." She denied, yanking his belt through the loops and dropping it to the floor along with the useless tatters of his shirt.

"No. Upstairs." He insisted.

"No, right here." She insisted pushing his jeans down freeing his erection. It rose up towards his belly button, fully erect and ready for her. "You are so ready for me." She marvelled pressing a kiss to the tip and smirking at the expression on his face. He was clearly warring with his desire to take her right now or rush them to their bedroom. She didn't give him the option, she climbed him like a tree and positioned his cock where she needed him, sinking onto his length.

"Shit..." He groaned, all traces of argument leaving immediately. He spun her around and pressed her into the door, slamming his hips into hers over and over again.

"I am so happy we're alone right now." Elena moaned. When he hit that spot inside her she shut her eyes and bit into his shoulder to stifle her sounds of pleasure. Damon jack-hammered his hips into hers at vampire speed, effectively making her see stars.

"Never make me wait this long again." She hissed, her vampire visage coming out.

"It was bad for both of us." Damon assured her. After a few more thrusts Damon came spurting inside her. He immediately pulled out, mindless in his release. He set her on the floor not seeing the mutinous, incredulous look on Elena's face.

"What?" He asked baffled by the expression on her face. Her vampire visage faded away and she glared at him furiously.

"You left me high and dry." She hissed.

"Oh... oops." He shrugged pulling his pants back up.

"You never used to be a selfish lover. I was so close, you couldn't have held on for a couple more seconds?" She asked outraged.

"Apparently not. I wanted you more than I let on I guess." He shrugged.

"Damon Salvatore you are going to fix this, and you are going to fix this now." She hissed at him.

"Nah, I think I'm going to take a shower then go to bed." He denied her. Elena scoffed, hissing at him and stalked towards the stairs not bothering to pull her clothes back on.

"I see it as revenge of sorts for continually trying to sabotage my evening." He told her as he followed her up the stairs.

"I hate you for it." She told him.

"You could always deal with it yourself, but I think you should have to suffer for a while. After all you did try to torture me all night." He shrugged.

"I hate you." She hissed standing in the bedroom doorway.

"I'm going to shower." He told her kissing her shoulder.

"If you're not careful I will take advantage of you." She warned him.

"Are you adverse to masturbation?" He asked raising his eyebrows.

"Why wouldn't I be? I have your delicious body at my full disposal." She shrugged, stalking towards him.

"Not right now you don't." He murmured enjoying the look in her eyes. He definitely wasn't going to turn her down if she attacked him. She managed to get herself between him and the bathroom and starting pushing him towards the king sized bed that dominated the space.

"You do know that I am going to take my orgasm from you right?" She asked her voice low and dangerous.

"I figured as much." He muttered dryly, enjoying this new side of Elena. He had never played around with orgasm denial with her before and he found he was enjoying it. She turned into a completely different woman when she was unsatisfied. He found himself hardening and smirked as she backed him towards the bed.

"Maybe I should withhold an orgasm from you too as revenge." She mused feeling him harden against her belly.

"I would just take care of it myself. I'm really quite good at that." He whispered.

When his knees hit the back of the mattress she shoved him down and tore his jeans from his body watching with rapt fascination as his cock rose against his belly again.

"The idea of orgasm denial is looking friendlier and friendlier all the time." Elena mused.

"There's no point, I would just deal with it myself." He warned her, clasping his hands behind his head as he watched her.

"I hate you." She told him before mounting him on the bed and taking him inside her in one fluid movement. In the next second she was bouncing furiously on him, slamming their hips together. This was not soft lovemaking, this was rough and passionate fucking. She rose off of him and turned around so her back was facing him before impaling herself on his cock again. His eyes were fixated on her ass and watching his cock disappear inside her on every thrust. She leaned forward taking him in at a different angle and causing his base to hit her clit. She screamed out a garbled stream of curse words and his name. She rolled her hips against his and hung her head back causing the tips of her hair to tickle the tops of his thighs. Moments later Elena's orgasm washed over her, making her boneless riding out the waves. Damon took advantage of the situation and flipped her over until her back hit the mattress and pounded into her over and over again eager for his release. When he finally spilled inside of her for the second time that evening, it sent her headlong into a smaller orgasm.

"Wow." Elena sighed when she came down from her orgasms.

"Mhm." Damon murmured smugly.

"That was really quite incredible." Elena said, surprise clear in her voice.

"Are you shocked?" Damon asked sitting up so he could look at her.

"I'm just shocked at how hot orgasm denial can be." Elena admitted.

"Ah yes. You so liked being tortured by me." He teased, laying back down beside her.

"No, I liked taking advantage of you after the fact" She corrected him.

"Fine. I can honestly see you enjoying something like that. You love taking advantage of me, you do it quite frequently." Damon continued to tease her.

"Okay, change of subject. What are we doing tomorrow?" Elena asked.

"There are still quite a few places we have yet to visit, so it's up to you. We can either stay in tomorrow or we can start our historical Italy tour with Rome, Venice and all the other places you wanted to see." Damon told her.

"How long are we spending in each of those places?" She asked.

"A couple days. We'll get a hotel room." Damon told her.

"Okay, I really want to see Rome. That was the place I was most excited to see." Elena admitted.

"Then tomorrow we will plan our trip to Rome and then we'll leave on Tuesday." Damon told her.

"Sounds perfect. Now let's go to sleep. You tired me out." She teased him leaning over to give him a quick kiss.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning Elena found Damon poring over the laptop with a glass of blood in his hand.

"Good morning. We are staying at the Gran Melia Rome Hotel because of its convenient location near the Vatican and many other places that you'd want to see. I was thinking of getting a Premium Suite, does that sound good?" Damon asked when she walked into the kitchen.

"That sounds wonderful. It's odd, I've been to more churches and whatnot on this trip while I've been a vampire than I ever did when I was human." Elena mused.

"Well these are historical and beautiful." Damon told her.

"It's just ironic." Elena admitted.

"That it is." Damon agreed taking a sip of his warmed blood. Elena grabbed herself a bag of blood from the fridge and stuck it in the microwave. She went to sit beside him at the island and watched as he scrolled through the amenities the hotel offered.

"Ooh minibar." Damon enthused.

"I knew you'd like that. I'm looking forward to the pool" Elena admitted.

"My pool is so much better." Damon scoffed.

"Yes it is, but this one is in Rome." Elena explained.

"Fine, I'll give you that one." Damon allowed.

"So what are we doing for the rest of today?" Elena asked curiously.

"Pack a couple days worth of clothes and then you can relax and have the day in you so desperately wanted. " Damon told her.

"Sounds nice." Elena sighed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Where are you heading this time?" Bella asked seeing Damon and Elena carrying overnight bags out to the car.

"Rome." Elena answered with a bright smile on her face.

"I am amazed you haven't been there yet. It is only about an hour and a half away." Bella mused.

"We were too busy with other stuff." Elena admitted.

"Well have fun, it's a beautiful city." Bella told her.

"I've always wanted to see it. The way Damon drives we will be there sooner rather than later." Elena laughed.

"Life is too short to waste on driving stupidly slow." Damon retorted.

"Sometimes the fun is in the slow drive." Elena told him.

"We have three days in Rome, and I have compiled a list of ten places we need to see. Time is of the essence, we can take the drive slow on the way home." He told Elena.

"Where are you taking Elena? I must ensure that your list is complete." Bella told Damon.

"Fine. Obviously we're going to the Coliseum, Sistine Chapel, Vatican, Pantheon, and a few other places. Those are the main ones, we're going to the Piazza and we'll probably go see the Opera while we're there. It's an experience Elena should have." Damon listed.

"Your list is fine. Have a good trip." Bella decided. Th

"We will." Damon told her.

"What hotel are you staying in?" Bella asked, having a very high knowledge about Rome.

"Gran Melia Rome." Damon told her. Bella nodded her approval and Damon opened Elena's car door so she could slip in.

"Would you like me to clean the house while you're gone?" Bella asked.

"Nope, we did it before we left." Damon told her. Bella nodded and Damon walked around to his side of the car and climbing in behind the wheel. Elena waved goodbye to Bella as Damon peeled out of the driveway and hit the road.

They talked amiably as Damon made the normally hour and forty minute drive in forty minutes due to his ability to drive at WAY above the posted speed limit and being able to compel his way out of speeding tickets.

"So what are we doing first?" Elena asked.

"The Roman Forum tour takes about two hours if you want to do that? Damon asked.

"What is the Roman Forum?" Elena asked.

"It's a historical place. One of the ruins is Julius Caesar's cremation altar." Damon told her, having not been there for years.

"Wow. Okay lets go that. Then we can go to our hotel." Elena told him.

"Sounds good. Tomorrow we'll do the Vatican and Sistine Chapel since it's walking distance from our hotel." Damon told her, taking a left and parking outside a very rundown area.

"This is the Roman Forum." Damon showed Elena grabbing her camera from the console and taking her hand. They signed up for the tour and joined the other people waiting for the guide. When the tour guide appeared he led them through the ruins, illustrating the struggle that went on in that time. Elena got pictures standing beside the cremation altar of Julius Caesar, and several other places. She listened to everything the guide had to say and filed it away for further examination. There was so much in the world that Elena had never seen and he wanted to make sure she saw it all. It was hot outside but the heat didn't really affect the two vampires. The people surrounding them were huffing and puffing trying to keep breath as they guzzled from water bottles. When the tour was finished Damon walked Elena back to the car.

"That was so amazing. I am so going to have to make an album with all the pictures from this trip when we go back to Mystic Falls." Elena enthused.

"That would be amazing. I think we should take a trip like this every year. Next year maybe we can go to Greece for a month." Damon suggested.

"That would be amazing. A new country for a month once a year." Elena sighed happily, loving the idea.

"Let's go check into our hotel and get cleaned up. Then we can find somewhere for lunch." Damon suggested.

"Sounds good. Is there a restaurant in our hotel?" Elena asked.

"Yeah. We can have lunch there and then do something else." Damon suggested.

"What should we do?" Elena asked.

"We can relax in the hotel room for a few hours, then I want to show you the Trevi Fountain. It's beautiful. We can have

some ice cream and sit there for a while." Damon told her.

"That sounds amazing. I love ice cream." Elena breathed. He grinned at her and drove to the hotel. Elena marvelled at the exterior of the hotel when they pulled up. Damon handed the keys to the valet as he grabbed their overnight bags and walked in.

"Good morning sir. What can I do for you?" The concierge asked.

"We have a reservation under Salvatore." Damon told him.

"Ah yes, you booked the Premium Suite. Just sign this and we are ready to go." He told Damon slipping the credit card receipt over to him. Damon signed it with a flourish of his hand and got the key from the concierge.

"Enjoy your stay with us sir." The concierge as they walked to the elevator and headed to the fourth floor.

Damon unlocked the door to their room and let Elena in first.

"It's beautiful." Elena murmured as she walked in. She walked into the bedroom area and saw the bed. "Oh my Gosh." She whispered seeing the plush bed.

"It's not as nice as my house but it's not bad. I wasn't going for the best this time, we're only here for three days." Damon told her.

"It is probably the nicest hotel I've ever stayed in." Elena argued.

"I never go below five stars. I chose it predominantly for the location. Very convenient." Damon told her.

"I'm going to show, I feel icky." She told him walking into the bathroom. He let her go as he appraised the room. He looked out the window and stepped onto the balcony knowing Elena would love the view. He grabbed her camera from the bag and snapped pictures of the hotel room and the view from the balcony knowing she'd want them. It saved them both some time. He heard the shower running and resisted the urge to join her. If they wanted to get out of the room and get lunch then they'd have to get going. She stepped out of the shower and walked into the room wearing one of the complimentary terry cloth robes with a towel in her hair.

"Your turn." She told him digging through her bag of clothes for something that wasn't covered in ruin dust. She was relieved she brought extra clothes at Damon's insistence. Damon was only in the shower for five minutes when he came out dressed in jeans and a shirt, while running a towel through his artfully messy hair.

"So lunch?" He asked. She nodded her head and picked up a room key, taking his hand and leading him down to the restaurant.

They got seated immediately and talked amiably while waiting for their wine. Elena had started enjoying wine more on their trip. It was something that she was never very fond of before Italy. When their meals arrived they started eating and the conversation died down. After paying the check they went back up to their room and reclined on the bed with the TV on for a few hours.

"Lying low like this is nice every once in a while." Elena whispered lying beside Damon on the king sized bed. Their arms were touching but neither were taking it any further at the moment.

"It is nice just relaxing." Damon agreed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After dinner Damon and Elena walked down the winding alleyways until they came to the Trevi Fountain. It was overwhelming to say the least after walking through the narrow alleyways and coming to the massive fountain.

"Rumour has it if you throw a coin over your shoulder into the fountain, it guarantees your return to Rome." Damon whispered in her ear.

"Really?" Elena asked.

"Yeah, although I could guarantee it just as well." He shrugged.

"Can never guarantee it too much. Do you have a coin?" She asked hopefully. He dug through his pockets producing a coin and pressing it into her hand. She turned so her back was to the fountain and tossed the coin over her shoulder. She could the telltale plop when the coin hit the water and smiled.

"I guess we're coming back here again." She smiled.

"I guess we are." He smiled back at her, leaning down and kissing her softly.

"This place is remarkable. I've never seen anything like this before." Elena marvelled at the ancient fountain.

"I wish I could have seen it when it was brand new. But not even I was born when this was built." Damon told her.

"Do you want to grab some ice cream?" Elena asked lacing her fingers through his and squeezing softly.

"Yeah. Go grab that bench there, I'll grab some ice cream." He suggested. She reached onto her tip toes and kissed him quickly before doing as he said and taking a seat on the bench directly across from the fountain. Damon returned a couple minutes later with two dishes of ice cream.

"What kind do you want? I have pistachio or stracciatella?" He asked.

"What the hell is stracciatella?" Elena asked.

"Chocolate chip." He answered shrugging.

"I want them both." She whined unable to choose just one.

"Well then let's share both." He offered. Her face lit up and she kissed him quickly before taking a bite of the pistachio ice cream. After she swallowed the pistachio she took a bite of the chocolate chip and moaned.

"So good." Elena sighed taking another bite. Once the ice cream was all gone Elena laid her head on Damon's shoulder and took his hand in his.

"It's so beautiful here at night. I can't wait until tomorrow. Rome is most definitely my favourite place we've visited so far." Elena admitted.

"Tomorrow you're going to see the Vatican." Damon reminded her.

"I'm so excited." Elena whispered tilting her chin up so she could kiss him sweetly.


	11. Chapter 11

I am so sorry for how late this is. I have no excuses besides the fact that my muse just didn't know what to do with this. I'm not fond of this chapter but it was either this or nothing. Next update will be better and faster I promise. There aren't a lot of chapters left for this story and I hope to finish it before summer hits. Enjoy... that is if there still are people reading this after so long without an update. :/

* * *

The next morning Elena had Damon waiting outside the Vatican when the doors opened and the tours began. She wanted to be the first people signed up for the tours knowing it was a popular destination. She was mainly excited to see the Sistine Chapel and didn't want to miss out.

"I'm so excited for this." She enthused as they stood outside waiting for the tour to start.

"I know. I can't remember the last time I saw you this excited.

"I don't think I ever have been this excited." Elena agreed.

"I don't know about that. Keep in mind I've seen you positively bouncing up and down before. You're not doing that right now." He corrected her.

"Fine, maybe I have been more excited at some point in my life. But I'm hard pressed to remember such a time." She told him as the tour guide appeared and guided them into the chapel. She softly gripped Damon's hand and he smiled at the contact as they walked through the landmark.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd, that the two of us being what we are are walking through a place like this?" Damon whispered in Elena's ear.

"Maybe just a little bit." Elena agreed giggling at the question.

"More than a little bit. I'm positive we wouldn't be welcome if they knew what we were." Damon told her as they continued to walk and pay attention to everything the tour guide had to say.

"Isn't this place just so beautiful.?" Elena asked rhetorically as they continued to walk. The guide showed them everything before getting to the main event so to speak, the Sistine Chapel. Elena glanced amazed at the ceiling of the Sistine with his glorious paintings. She listened to the information that the guide spewed out while taking pictures of the amazing architecture.

"This is so beautiful." Elena whispered as she turned to face Damon.

"I know. I'm happy I brought you here. Seeing these places with you even though I've saw them countless times makes them feel new again. Your reactions are so honest and refreshing." He told her kissing her forehead. The tour guide led them back outside to where they started the tour.

"That concludes our tour of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel. I do hope you all learned something new today." The guide stated politely before everyone uttered their thanks and walked in separate ways.

"So what now?" She asked eagerly. She wanted to see more and more. There was so much going on in Rome and she wanted to see it all.

"We can go walk through the city if you want. I want to take you to a opera tonight but for now we can go walk." Damon suggested.

"That sounds perfect." She agreed as she clasped his hand tighter. They began walking down the street and she wrapped her other arm around his. They looked like any other couple in love. "So what kind of opera are you taking me to?" She asked.

"Whatever is playing. I'll book tickets when we get back to the hotel. You'll have to dress nice, most of the operas I've ever went to are black tie." He told her.

"Yay, I love dressing up. Will it be in Italian?"She asked.

"Yes, I'll translate." He promised her.

"Which opera house are we going to? I know Rome has quite a few." Elena asked curiously.

"Teatro dell'Opera." He told her in a perfect Italian accent.

"Okay then. I'm guessing that translates to Opera House?" She questioned.

"Something like that. Come. Let's walk." He told her as he gently pushed her along the sidewalk.

They walked, and whenever Elena saw something that she wanted to look at they stopped. During their travels she had purchased a couple shirts, a few pieces of jewelry and a necklace from various vintage shops along the roadway.

"I love the stuff I've found so far." Elena sighed.

"I'm glad you've found things you like. I like buying you stuff." He told her as they walked hand in hand.

"So is it black tie or somewhat black tie tonight?" Elena asked curiously. She was trying to plan out her outfit but not having lots of luck doing do.

"You don't have to wear an evening gown or anything like that. But that knee length black dress you packed would be perfect." He told her.

"How do you know what I packed?" She asked curiously.

"I notice these things Elena." He told her dryly as they walked.

"Is there anything you want to look at?" She asked realizing that she basically had control over where they were walking and where they stopped.

"Believe me if I see something I want to look at we'll stop. I'm happy just watching you shop right now." He told her honestly.

"Okay but just make sure you stop me." She told him. They walked past a jewelry store that immediately caught Damon's eye.

"I'll be right back." He told her.

"I can't come with you?" She asked narrowing her eyes at him.

"Just wait here. I'll be right back. I just want to look at something." He told her kissing her temple.

"Alright, I'll be good." She decided rolling her eyes at him. He quickly walked into the store and Elena could see him conversing with the man at the desk. She chose not to listen in to his conversation just in case it really had something to do with her. She was surprised when he came out several long moments later with a smile on his face and nothing in his hand.

"So what were you doing in there?" She asked curiously.

"Just pricing out some jewelry." He admitted without giving much away.

"Were you looking at engagement rings?" She asked warily.

"Judging by the tone of your voice an engagement ring isn't the thing to do right now?" He noted.

"Damon, it's not that I don't want to marry you. It's that I don't want to marry you right now. You didn't buy a ring did you?" She asked.

"Of course not." He scoffed while covering the concealed box in his jeans pocket, he kept his disappointment at bay.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Are you ready to go back to the hotel?" Damon asked after a while of walking with minimal conversation.

"I guess so. Is everything alright?" She asked baffled by the 180 degree turn his mood had taken.

"I'm fine. Let's just go. I don't want to miss dinner and then the opera." He told her as he turned them in the opposite

direction to head back to their car. Elena subtly watched him and grew more confused by the angry set of his jaw.

"Are you sure you're alright?" She asked again.

"I'm fine." He told her as they neared the car walking at much faster than normal humans could.

They were silent the entire way back to the hotel and Elena wasn't sure how a day started out so good but turned out so awkward.

"Are you going to talk to me at some point?" She demanded after several minutes of silence.

"Unlike you I don't feel the need to fill the silence with mindless chitchat." He retorted as they drove in relative silence. Elena sighed and shook her head, unable to pinpoint exactly what was wrong with him. She knew it started when they left the jewelry store and she had the sinking suspicion that he was looking at or even possibly bought an engagement ring for her. That would explain his totally changed mood. When they got back to the hotel, they walked inside and got in the elevator. He didn't touch her and stayed on the opposite side as her.

When they got to their floor, he opened the door to their room and let her in first.

"Go get ready. I'll get ready after you're done." He told her as he walked into the bedroom.

"We could always shower together." She suggested hopefully.

"I don't really want to be around you right now. Just go shower." He insisted

"Okay."She spoke softly before shutting herself in the bathroom and stripped out of her clothes. Damon reclined on the bed and opened up the small box that was in his pocket. The ring really was exquisite and it would look so beautiful on her hand had she not shut him down so quickly. It was platinum with a large center diamond and several smaller ones surrounding it. The diamonds were bright and beautiful. The highest quality that the jeweller could get his hands on. He knew that she would love it had she just looked at it. It was exactly the way she had always told him her dream engagement ring looked. When he heard the shower shut off he quickly shut the box and tossed it into his duffel bag where she wouldn't see it. She didn't need to see it and he didn't want her to.

Elena stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her breasts before wiping the fog off the mirror. Her hair hung went down her back and she quickly brushed through it. Tonight was going to be a disaster if he wasn't even going to speak to her. She slipped into the black dress that she had packed and zipped it up herself. The dress hugged her every curve; curves that Damon was fond of until tonight apparently. Things had been going so well for them lately and she had to fuck it up by opening her big mouth. After she was done getting ready she walked out of the room and saw Damon subtly appraise her.

"How do I look?" She asked spinning in a slow circle.

"Beautiful, but then again you always look beautiful to me." He shrugged. She smiled at him but he strode right by and shut himself in the bathroom. She knew that Damon was very capable of holding grudges. If he was upset with you, he could stay upset for a long time and there was really nothing you could do to stop it. Elena knew she would just have to weather this storm like she had so many others. Eventually he would cool down and be able to talk to her again. She hoped.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The couple sat in awkward silence in the restaurant until the waiter came over.

"Good evening. Can I start you off with anything to drink?" The waiter asked.

"Bourbon. Give me the whole bottle." Damon compelled the waiter.

"Whole bottle. Bourbon." He repeated back to Damon. "Miss?" He asked turning to Elena.

"Just a glass of whatever your house wine is." Elena answered politely.

"Very well miss. I will be right back with your drink orders." He said in a heavy Italian accent.

"Thank you." Elena said as he walked off. "Is this how it's going to be all night?" Elena demanded.

"Yep." He told her popping the "p."

"Great. Thanks for the warning." She muttered sarcastically as she waited for her wine to show up. The waiter brought

their drinks back moments later, the entire bottle of high-end bourbon and the single glass of white wine for Elena.

"Have you chosen your meals yet?" The waiter prompted.

"Yes, I'll have to chicken Parmesan with cheese toast instead of garlic toast." Elena ordered.

"Very well. Sir?" He asked turning to Damon.

"I'll have the filet. Rare. With potatoes." He stated without looking away from his menu.

"Very well. Enjoy your drinks." He said walking away from the table with the menus. The atmosphere at the table was tense to say the least. Both vampires were sitting straight up in their chairs, looking anywhere other than directly across from them. Elena's hands were on her lap and Damon's arms were crossed across his chest.

After they were finished eating and the bill was paid, Damon ushered Elena out of the restaurant without saying a word.

"You're still going to translate the opera for me right?" She questioned hopefully.

"Yes I'll still do that." He told her as he opened the car door and slipped in. When she was in on the other side he started up the car and drove to the opera house. When they got there he parked the car and waited for her to join him on the sidewalk. He showed the man at the door their tickets and he took their seats waiting for the opera to start.

Elena had never seen anything like the opera. It was impossible to understand without Damon's translation but someone with all their movements and expressions it made it easier. The opera was truly a work of art, one she was happy she had the chance to see in her life.

"Thank you for this." She whispered in his ear.

"You're welcome." He whispered back. She knew it was progress one way or another. He spent the rest of the night translating important parts for her until the show was over and he quickly rushed them back to the hotel. The silence sinking in once again.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Wow, not nearly as long this time. Woohoo! I hope you enjoy this. As always let me know what you think. There aren't too many chapters left of this story, less than 10 for sure. probably about 5 if I don't get anymore ideas. This chapter is unbetaed, so all mistakes are my own. **_

* * *

"Are you ever planning on speaking to me again?" Elena demanded the next morning as they were packing up and preparing to head back to the villa.

"We'll see. Right now I'm not overly pleased with you." He stated.

"Why? Because I told you that I didn't want you to buy me an engagement ring. I didn't know you were thinking about

taking that step." Elena demanded.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter. I don't want to take that step anymore. That ship has sailed." He muttered as he zipped up his bag. When they were done they walked out of the room in silence. Elena went to stand by the car while Damon checked them out of their room.

"You bought a ring didn't you? That's why you're so bitter about yesterday?" She clarified.

"That's really none of your business whether I bought a ring. It doesn't matter anyway." He stated as he stepped on the gas, speeding them out of town. Elena sighed and leaned her head on the passenger door. The moment the two of them made any progress at all, something always came up and derailed them. It was like clockwork, they were happy so one of them had to fuck things up.

With the way he was driving they made it back to Sarteano much quicker than they usually could. It was like he had no intention of being in her presence for longer than necessary. When he approached the house, he saw Bella outside pruning her rose bushes. He parked in front of the big house and got out, fishing the duffel from the backseat.

"How was Rome?" Bella asked as Damon stalked into the house leaving Elena behind.

"Rome was beautiful. The trip was amazing up until yesterday." Elena sighed shaking her head.

"What's wrong? Things were going so well for the two of you when you left?" Bella asked concerned. It seemed to her that the couple was back to where they were when they arrived.

"I think I hurt him." Elena answered choosing her words carefully.

"Come, help me with the roses. Sometimes flowers help people open up?" She told the young woman, pulling her arms to lead her to the gardens in the back. Elena smiled at the woman and willingly followed her around the back of the property.

"These flowers are so amazing. You take such good care of them." Elena sighed looking at the bright colours surrounding her.

"Thank you. Flowers and gardening are my passions. So how do you think you hurt Damon?" Bella asked as she pruned the weeds out of the beautiful gardens.

"Uh..." Elena started unsure of how to start.

"You don't have to tell me. I won't meddle, it's not my place." She promised turning back to the flowers.

"Thank you. When I have it all sorted out in my head, maybe I can talk about it. But right now I'm confused about everything. My feelings, his feelings. Our future. It's all a huge jumbled mess." Elena explained.

"How so?" Bella asked.

"Well I guess it all goes back to Rome. Damon and I had this fight because he left me behind to go buy something in a jewelry store. I have to sinking suspicion it's an engagement ring. I freaked out and now I'm thinking I made a huge mistake. He's hurt by my reaction, so now he'll probably never ask me again." Elena explained, surprised at how easy the words came from her lips.

"See that wasn't so hard. It's always best to talk through your feelings. So you think Damon wants to propose?" She asked

softly.

"Wanted to propose. I'm pretty sure that's in the past now." Elena answered.

"I'm sure it's not. Feelings like that don't just disappear. He may be wounded right now, but that doesn't mean he's completely given up hope." Bella assured Elena.

"He won't even speak to me. I'm pretty sure that means I went too far this time." Elena sighed

"Did he actually ask you to marry him?" Bella asked.

"No, I don't even know for sure he bought a ring. It's just the way he's been acting since yesterday that makes me think he did." Elena admitted.

"You guys are in love. You'll work it out. Maybe in Venice." She suggested.

"I don't want to go to Venice with someone who wants nothing to do with me." Elena confessed.

"I know dear." Bella said comfortingly.

"I think I'm going to head inside and use the silent treatment as a chance to email my friends back home. I'm sure my email inbox is filling up thanks to my friends and family." Elena said.

"He'll come around Elena. That's what men in love do. They come around and lose some of that stubbornness. If I gave up hope every single time that Antonio and I had a lovers spat, we would never have gotten married. We've had our fair share of misunderstandings too, dear." She told her as Elena walked into the house.

Elena walked into the computer room, not having seen Damon anywhere in the house as she walked. She knew he was there, but she had no idea where. She sat down on the comfy computer chair and switched the computer on. She leaned back in the chair as the computer booted up and thought about how everything suddenly went so wrong. Elena smiled as she logged into her email account and found the 30 unread messages. 25 of which were from Caroline. She shook her head and laughed a little at her slightly obsessive best friend before logging into her Facebook account to see the activity on there. The second she logged on, Caroline popped up on her chat bar.

"Elena Marie Gilbert, where the hell have you been? There is no conceivable reason you've been avoiding the computer

ever since you left." Caroline typed furiously.

"Hi, Caroline. Nice to talk to you too." Elena typed.

"So... how's it going? We're all wondering." Caroline asked.

"Um... it wasn't going good, then it was going great, now not so good again." Elena explained.

"Oh, what happened? I'm glad things were going good." Caroline asked, somehow her worry seeped through the computer.

"Things were going great when we were in Rome until he bought an engagement ring." Elena typed back.

"An engagement ring!? Are you getting married?" Caroline demanded, Elena could hear her squeal halfway across the world.

"No, I'm not engaged. He's pissed at me because I told him he shouldn't have bought a ring." Elena typed.

"I don't think he's pissed. I think he's hurt." Caroline stated.

"I think you're right." Elena answered.

"Do you want to get married to him?" Caroline typed, getting right to the heart of the issue.

"I'm so in love with him, and it's been so hard since yesterday when he stopped speaking to me. It's like he only talks to me when he absolutely has to and I hate it. But when it comes to marriage if I'm being completely honest then yes. I do want to get married to him, but I'm just afraid of the depth of my feelings for him. I feel like if I accept his proposal, I won't be

able to wait. I'll marry him immediately." Elena typed.

"That's not a bad thing, although I would be pissed if you married him without me being there." Caroline typed.

"I'm pretty sure that won't happen. But I have to go. I can hear Damon moving about and I should try to talk to him." Elena typed.

"Alright, but don't disappear for so long this time Lena. I miss you and so does everyone else. Email or message me sometime." Caroline insisted.

"I will whenever I have time. I'm here to work on my relationship. I better go." Elena said before logging off the computer.

Elena could hear Damon downstairs in the kitchen. She left the computer room and walked downstairs, finding Damon cooking dinner in the kitchen.

"Need some help?" She asked taking the opening.

"No it's all good." He said as he fried up some vegetables on the chef friendly stove.

"Okay then." She said sitting down at the island hoping he'd decide he wants to speak.

"Are you still set on going to Venice tomorrow?" Damon asked considering that was the plan all along.

"I don't want to go to Venice when you're mad at me. It kinda ruins the idea of a romantic gondola ride and that's what I

wanted to do." Elena told him.

"I'm not mad at you." Damon sighed.

"Yes you are. You haven't really spoken to me since yesterday." Elena sighed.

"I'm not mad. I'm disappointed, I'll admit. I thought Rome was the perfect place to finally propose to you. I've wanted to

marry you for years but I thought it was a good time to at least buy a ring." Damon explained.

"You were going to propose?" She asked, she didn't know that was part of his plan.

"After the opera, I thought that was a good time to do it. But don't worry I'm not going to do that again." He promised her.

"I don't want you to not propose to me. I want to marry you." She told him.

"You could have fooled me. The way you freaked out yesterday." He shrugged turning away from her.

"I'm sorry for that. I'm in love with you and I want to marry you." Elena told him.

"Do you want to go to Venice?" Damon asked finally. He was silent for so long that she was worried he lost the ability to speak.

"Yes. If I was to ask, would you show me the ring?" She asked hopefully.

"Are you sure you want to see it?" He asked.

"I want to see it. I don't want you to propose right this minute. I want to be surprised when it happens. Between Caroline and Bella, they convinced me that I want to be your wife." Elena told him.

"Alright." He said flashing out of the room and grabbing the ring box before reappearing in the kitchen seconds later. He placed the box on the counter and went back to the stove. She slid the box towards herself and opened it.

"Wow." She whispered when she saw the glittering diamond ring nestled among the black silk of the box. The ring was platinum with a round cut diamond sitting in the center. It was set in a band filled with smaller diamonds. It was breathtaking. "You bought this yesterday? It's so beautiful?" She murmured.

"You like it?" He asked.

"It's so beautiful. I could picture myself wearing that for the rest of eternity." She sighed closing the box and pushing it across the counter.

"Do you want to try it on?" He asked.

"No, I don't want to put it on until you ask me to marry you." Elena demurred.

"Sounds good to me. But be prepared, I will be asking you." Damon warned her.

"Be prepared, I will probably say yes." Elena smirked.

"Well then you better be prepared for my reaction when you say yes." He responded.

"So we're going to Venice tomorrow?" She asked hopefully. Aside from Rome, Venice was the other place she really wanted to see. It was just so romantic, gondola rides and such.

"Yep, there is still lots of Italy to see, so we're going to be busy for the next couple weeks." He told her.

"Good. So what are you making?" She asked remembering the food he was cooking.

"I was just making a simple stir-fry for dinner tonight. I'm not nearly motivated enough to make anything more." He told her as he tossed a loaf of garlic bread into the oven and switched it on as he added noodles and cooked shrimp to the pan.

"It looks so good. I love shrimp." She told him.

"I know you do. You say that every time I make something with shrimp in it." He laughed at her.

"Well while you're doing that, I am going outside to see if Bella's still doing the flowers." Elena said sliding off the stool and walked through the double doors. She walked around the house until she found Bella at the olive trees picking olives.

"Elena, did you talk to Damon?" She asked with a kind smile on her face.

"Yes I did. It went well. " She affirmed nodding her head as she started helping Bella with the olives.

"That's good. Things are back on track then?" She asked.

"Yes. He showed me the ring. He's going to propose at some point. I asked him to make it a surprise." Elena confessed.

"So are you going to marry him." Bella noted.

"Yes, you and Caroline, my best friend back in the States, told me the same thing. I want to be with him forever and I want to get married to him. I want to be his wife, I was just afraid." Elena admitted.

"I know you are. When you're not expecting it a engagement ring can be a disconcerting item. Most women have better reactions though." Bella noted.

"I know, I reacted terribly. But I better head back inside. Thank you for your insight." Elena said as she turned to walk back to the house.

"Are the two of you going to Venice tomorrow?" Bella called after her.

"Yes." Elena nodded.

"Well make sure that man of yours takes you on a gondola ride." Bella informed her.

"Don't worry. He most definitely will be doing that." Elena laughed.

"That's good. I will see you later Elena. I was wondering if Antonio and I could come over and use one of the pools tonight. Swimming is our favourite form of exercise." Bella asked.

"Of course. Swimming is very good exercise. Not my favourite form but good nonetheless." Elena laughed.

"Thank you." Bella said kindly before turning back to the olive tree.

Elena wandered back into the house and Damon was dishing the stir-fry onto two plates. He pulled the garlic bread out and cut it up.

"Dinner is served." Damon called to her.

"I'll be right there." Elena told him as she rushed to the bathroom to wash her hands. She came back seconds later and sat down at the table across from him.

"So what do you want to do tonight?" Damon asked as they ate in relative silence.

"We could go swimming with Bella and Antonio. They're using the pool tonight." Elena told him.

"You want to go swimming?" He asked.

"Yeah, like Bella said it's excellent exercise." She told him.

"There are much hotter ways to get exercise." He noted.

"Oh I know, but I want to wait until we get to Venice. This trip is going to go so much better than Rome did." Elena told

him.

"Of course it will." Damon agreed nodding his head as he bit into the slice of bread. They ate the rest of the meal in silence.

When they were done they used vampire speed to clean up the kitchen before heading upstairs to put on their swimsuits.

"I guess I actually have to wear swimming trunks tonight." Damon sighed dismally.

"It would kill Bella and Antonio to see you naked." Elena told him.

"I know, and I like them. I want them to live forever." Damon noted as he slipped his clothes off and put a pair of trunks on right away with no fanfare. Elena slipped into a mulch-coloured string bikini, with bottoms that tied at the sides. "That's rude... way too much temptation for me right there." Damon whined seeing her in very little.

"I don't own a one piece swimsuit. You will just have to keep your hands to yourself." Elena told him firmly, narrowing her eyes.

"Ha, you are really trying to kill me." Damon whined as they walked downstairs and out the french doors leading to the pools. Bella and Antonio were walking across the deck carrying towels when they walked outside.

"It's a beautiful night for a swim." Elena called out to them as she dropped her towel on a lounge chair and stepped into the pool slowly. She pulled her hair up and back in a high, messy bun before she submerged herself all the way to her shoulders. Damon executed a perfect dive off the board in the deep end of the pool before surfacing right next to her. Antonio started swimming laps in the other pool while Bella went to stand beside Elena.

"The two of you are such a beautiful couple." Bella sighed happily.

"Thank you." Elena told him leaning her head on Damon's shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her narrow waist and kissed the top of her head.

"Make sure Venice is filled with romance for two of you." Bella ordered.

"Oh believe me with what I have planned, Venice will be the highlight of this trip for her." Damon promised.


	13. Chapter 13

Wow another short wait for this story. Hope you enjoy it. It's more or less a filler chapter. I'm sitting at home sick so I had lots of time to write this. Enjoy, love it or hate it tell me what you think.

I own nothing but my ideas, everything else belongs to the CW.

* * *

"How many days are we spending in Venice?" Elena asked as she started packing up a duffel bag for their trip to Venice.

"I love Venice, it's my favourite city in Italy, so lets say 4 days but it could end up being longer. You never know." He said suggested.

"Sounds good. I'll bring enough clothes for a week just in case." Elena decided.

"Sounds good." Damon agreed as he packed his duffel beside her in silence. He gently slid the engagement ring into the duffel bag first so he didn't forget it. He had a plan and he was doing everything he could to make sure it went off without a hitch.

"So where else do you have to take me in Italy? I wouldn't mind spending a few days here towards the end of the trip." She

asked.

"We will. I just want to take you to the Amalfi Coast. I have a villa there too. It's my second favourite. It's seaside." He told her.

"Wow, I love the ocean and we haven't really spent much time near the ocean since we've been here." Elena told him.

"I know, and believe me with the plan I have for Venice. You'll want to go to the relative seclusion of my villa on the Amalfi Coast." He told her.

"You've been talking about these plans since yesterday, don't you think you should just tell me what we're doing now. Haven't you teased me enough?" She begged.

"Nope, you don't get to know anything about these plans until they happen." He told her as he zipped up his bag having finished packing it.

"Do I need anything somewhat dressy?" She asked debating between packing a royal blue dress she had purchased on their trip somewhere.

"You should. It's always safe to have something nice to put on in case we go somewhere nice." Damon told her.

"Okay, good to know. So you are planning on taking me somewhere nice." She teased.

"I never said that. I said just in case." He told her shrugging.

"Whatever you say. So tell me about your villa on the Amalfi Coast." She prompted him.

"You'll love it. It's very Italian." He told her.

"How many properties do you own?" She asked.

"Well there's three in Italy and then a few others in various countries. Plus the Boarding House and an apartment in New York." He told her.

"It must be nice to be absolutely loaded." She scoffed.

"Do you want to hear about the villa or not?" He asked her raising his eyebrows.

"Absolutely. I need to be prepared before you take me to the Amalfi Coast. A few days of preparation should be lots." She decided.

"Well... okay then. It is situated 20 m above sea level. 7 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms. There is a small pool in case you don't want to take the private staircase down to the public beach. The beach is beautiful. There are boat rides to the Island of Capri, where I also have a Villa. We could spend a couple days there too. The house is done in vibrant colours, which yes I know isn't truly my style. But I like it. There is a massive blue couch in the sitting room that you'll love. It is probably one of my favourite houses I own." Damon explained.

"I have a feeling you love it over here. If you didn't you wouldn't own three houses in Italy alone." Elena murmured dryly.

"I love it here. I would move us here in an instant but I know your family and friends wouldn't appreciate that too much." Damon told her.

"No they sure wouldn't. But it would certainly give Care a reason to hop on a plane and come over here." Elena added on.

"Very true. But we should head out, lots to get accomplished in the next few days." He told her picking up both of their bags and walking out of the room.

"So other than gondola rides what is there to do in Venice?" She asked.

"Lots. We can go to the Dolomite Mountains, we can even do the whole day trip aspect for it with the tour guide and all. I don't really know that region all that well so it's probably safer that way. The Piazza San Marco, it has St. Marks Basilica, Doge's Palace, and Torre dell'Orologio which is a clock tower, right in the middle of the square. There are art galleries we can go to, Venice has a unique array of art. There are lots of little bars along the grand canal. We can go sit there at night, have a drink or two and see Venice in the evening. It's a amazing sight. We'll definitely go up the Campanile, it's Venice's tallest buildings and if we pick a good day we can see everything. A tour on the Grand Canal with a guide. Drink wine. We'll go see the Venice Baroque Orchestra, in fact I already have tickets for that. You are getting to know a lot of culture on this trip. We'll have gelato, since neither of us have to worry about getting fat. We can follow James Bond's footsteps as the final shooting scene in Casino Royale was shot in Venice, and an earlier movie happened in the Clock Tower. You can eat seafood you've never seen before. Shopping of course, there are so many street side vendors that sell unique items. We are getting there just in time for Carnevale, it's a masked ball. I'm sure you've heard of it." He explained.

"Wow, I never knew there was so much to do there." She sighed happily.

"Yep, you just have to know the city. Are you ready to go?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm so excited."She said. As they walked down the stairs, she wondered idly if he was going to propose to her in

Venice. She hoped he would because the night before she had done her own research. She had picked her ideal wedding site and wanted to marry him in Venice. Suddenly it didn't matter to her to have a big Mystic Falls wedding with everyone by her side. All she wanted was to marry Damon underneath Juliet's window in Verona. It takes a little of an hour to get there from Venice, but the way Damon drove it could be a quick trip.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked.

"I did my own research on Venice, and there is one thing I hope we can do." She told him.

"And what might that be?" He asked.

"I can't tell you. I'm keeping my own secrets now." She teased him bumping his hip with hers.

"Well then. We can't do it if I don't know what we're doing first." He reminded her.

"You'll know soon enough maybe." She told him as they walked out the front door and out to the car.

"Heading out?" Antonio asked as he was standing by his wife's side as she watered her precious flowers.

"Yep off to Venice for a few days. After Venice we're hopefully heading to the Amalfi Coast to my other villa for a few days and maybe to the Island of Capri for a day or two so she can see the other villa." He told them.

"Are you coming back here before you head back home?" Bella asked not ready to say goodbye yet.

"Of course. We're coming back after Venice to unpack and repack then heading off to the Amalfi Coast. Elena wants to spend a few days here before heading back to Mystic Falls. You're not getting rid of us that easy." Damon teased the older woman.

"I would hope not. I love having the two of you here." Bella admitted dropping her gaze.

"We love being here too." Elena assured the woman making her smile brightly.

After 2 hours of driving for the vampires, they ended up in Venice.

"Do you have a room booked yet?" Elena asked.

"Yep, I did it before we left. We are in Tiepolo Grand Lagoon Suite at the Luna Hotel Baglioni. Five star resort. It's really nice, I've stayed there before." He told her.

"Okay. Sounds nice." She agreed as they made their way to the hotel. When they arrived they walked up to the front desk as Elena admired all the fixtures in the building. Venice was so beautiful, she loved seeing the canals pretty much right up against the hotel. It seemed like the car wasn't going to be moving too much while they were there, it was going to be mostly boat rides.

"We have a room booked under Salvatore." Damon told the concierge.

"Yes of course. You called today correct?" He asked remembering Damon from the phone.

"Yes. I gave you my credit card number over the phone." He reminded him.

"Yes of course. The room is all paid for. Here are your keys, if you can just sign this slip right here." He asked sliding a credit card slip across the counter. Damon signed his name with a flourish before taking Elena's hand and pulling her to the elevator. Their room was on the third floor so Damon quickly pressed number 3 and the elevator started moving.

Damon used the key card to open the door and Elena walked inside her mouth agape. The room was very luxurious. The walls for kind of an olive-y green patterned colour that was broken up closer to the ground with a lighter colour. The lights were cream coloured and gave the room a very regal feel. Italian artwork hung on the walls. There was a cream coloured day bed like chair in the corner with a lamp beside it and a couch with two chairs surrounding a coffee table on the other side of the room. It was gorgeous. Vases of white roses adorned all the tables. In the bedroom a king sized bed made out of mahogany took up most of the room. The comforter was cream coloured and the bed was piled high with pillows. There were two lamps on either side with more flowers on the bedside table. There was a dining room and a fireplace outside the bedroom with more artwork and more flowers. The room was really too much, it was so beautiful. Elena continued walking through the room touching things as she went. The bathroom which was off of the bedroom was all marble with two sinks and a deep bathtub. The shower had several jets and she couldn't' wait to soak in the deep bathtub.

"Elena out here." Damon called from outside. She followed the sound of his voice and came to the balcony doors.

"Wow." Elena sighed as she looked over the balcony and could see the Lagoon. There were potted plants on the balcony along with a couple lounge chairs. It was idyllic. A small bistro table adorned the huge balcony and off one side they could see more of Venice and out the other they could see the lagoon. It was perfect.

"I love this." Elena sighed.

"I thought you might. Did you see the refreshments when you walked in the room?" Damon asked her.

"No, how did I miss those? I love refreshments." She asked as she followed him back inside. On the table when you walked in the room sat a platter with chocolate covered strawberries and some pastries along with a bottle of champagne and two glasses.

"Do you want some?" He asked her.

"Absolutely. Would you mind if we took them back onto the balcony. I love it out there." She asked him.

"That sounds fine to me." He told her picking up the tray and heading onto the balcony. A single red rose adorned the tray and Damon plucked it out and handed it to Elena.

"For you." He told her smiling.

"That's sweet." Elena grinned kissing his cheek,

"Where do you want this? On the bistro table or on the small table between the loungers?" He asked.

"Between the loungers, that's where I want to sit anyway." She told him wandering over to the chairs and sinking into one.

"If you want privacy there are curtains on the balcony that we can shut." He told her gesturing to them.

"I'm fine like this. I love the view." She told him taking a sip of the champagne that he handed her.

"So what do you want to do today?" He asked her, more than happy to just spend the night in.

"I don't know. You're the tour guide." She told him.

"You can pick. I would be totally cool with just staying in tonight. We can watch movies or sit out here, or even just go to bed. It's up to you." He told her.

"Is there a restaurant in the hotel?" She asked him.

"Yep there sure is. We can head down to the restaurant for dinner if you'd like." He suggested.

"Yeah, we'll do that tonight. For now I just kinda want to sit here and relax. We haven't had too many days where we've done noting." She told him.

"Sounds good to me." Damon agreed.

"What kind of restaurant is it?" She asked.

"There's three, but I want to go to Canova. I've heard incredible things about it." He told her.

"Canova it is then." Elena agreed. After a while Damon got up and walked into the room. She could hear him digging through their ever present cooler. He reemerged a few minutes later with two blood bags and two cups.

"I figured we should probably feed." Damon said handing her a cup.

"Thank you." Elena said as she poured the blood into the cup. She immediately started drinking it, loving the feel of it guiding down her throat. They drank their blood in silence as Elena flipped through a book. She rarely had time to just sit back and read. It was just nice to do nothing.

"What are you reading? Please don't say The Notebook?" He asked.

"I'm not reading The Notebook, I'm reading Safe Haven this time." She told him, showing him the cover.

"Ah moving on are you?" He asked smirking.

"You know it. Sometimes you just can't read the same book over and over again. You need a break at some point." She said.

A little while later they got dressed for dinner. It was a fairly fancy restaurant so they dressed nicer than they usually would to do to dinner. When they got seated the waiter offered them some wine and Elena let Damon choose a bottle. He was better at it anyhow. When the waiter came back he handed them their wine and poured it for them. He then gave them the chef's recommendations for the eventing.

"Tonight the chef is recommending pappardelle with crab, black olives and basil emulsion. I have been told it's very good."

The waiter said.

"That does sound good. I'll have that." Elena decided.

"Me too." Damon agreed as the waiter wandered off to the put the order in. "It's all fresh pasta here. It's hand made in the kitchen."

"I don't think I've ever had handmade pasta." Elena murmured.

"No? Well remind me when we get back to Mystic Falls to make some for you." He told her.

"I won't let you forget." She promised.

"Good." He said smiling as they waited for their meals. The wait for the meal was lengthy but the food was so worth it. The food was so amazing, one of the best meals Elena had ever had.

They both declined dessert and headed back to their room after dinner.

"So what now?" Damon asked.

"I'm exhausted. I'm about ready for bed. Come to bed with me." She insisted taking his hand and pulling him towards the bedroom.

"Okay." He agreed letting himself be pulled behind her.

" Will you unzip me?" She asked him turning her back to his.

"Sure." He murmured as he tenderly lowered the zipper on her back.

"Thank you." She answered. When the dress was unzipped she lowered it to the ground leaving her clad in just her revealing lingerie.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" He asked his voice gruff.

"Why? Is it working?" She asked with a slight smirk on her face.

"If you wanted me all you had to do is ask. I'm easy like that." He told her as he unbuttoned his shirt.

"I didn't know if you'd want to make love to me after the almost engagement debacle of a couple days ago." She admitted.

"I always want to make love to you, even when I'm pissed. But I thought we got past the Rome thing." He asked her.

"We are, I just wanted to make sure." She assured him.

"Okay, good because I want nothing more right now than to make love to my beautiful girlfriend." He confessed with his hands on her hips.

"I want nothing more than to make love with my sexy boyfriend." Elena added on as he swooped in and kissed her. He

backed her towards the bed and shocked her when he lifted her up and dropped her on it.

"Damon.." She squealed in response. Damon quickly released himself from his confining pants and climbed onto the bed straddling her.

"Now that I have you hear, just what should I do with you?" He asked seductively.

"You're a creative man I'm sure you can think of something." She teased him.

"That I am." He agreed as he pulled her until she was sitting up. Her legs around his hips and her hands on his chest. He reached around her and unclasped her bra, tossing it onto the floor. He loved her lingerie and somewhere along the way he stopped tearing it from her body. He liked it far too much to do that. He bent his head and took a nipple into his mouth she shrieked and arched back. His firm erection was pressing against her panty covered core.

"Damon." She begged as she rocked against him. She reached between their bodies and grabbed a firm hold on his shaft. He shoved his hips forward in her hand and moaned around her nipple. The vibrations did something to her and she groaned as she jacked his penis in her hand as well as she could in her current position.

"Your panties have got to go." He told her as he shifted her off of him and pulled her panties from her body. She lay bare before him allowing him to ogle for a minute or two.

"Damon I need you. Inside." She insisted. He pulled her back again until she was sitting on his lap, his erection pressed up against her but not going inside. He shifted his lower body and she took a hold of him positioning herself against him. She sank down on his length and she let out a garbled groan feeling him expand her walls.

"Oh fuck Damon." She moaned. He immediately started thrusting up as she sank down on him over and over again. With their mutual movements he went deeper in her than before. He hit the end of her on every thrust.

"Ah. Fuck. Damon. Ah.." She moaned over and over again. She loved the feeling of him inside her, it made everything right in the world somehow.

"Come for me Elena." He almost begged her. His thrusts were beginning to get erratic and she knew he was close. But she knew she was closer. She was so ready for orgasm that she couldn't believe it. She just needed a little more to truly go over the edge. He knew exactly what she needed, so he gently rubbed her little bundle of nerves with this thumb in a small circle causing her to go wild. She screamed out his name as her muscles clamped around him. He followed behind her into bliss four thrusts later. He fell over the edge and buried his head in her neck to keep his moans at bay.

"Wow, why is it that sex after a fight is always better? No matter how long ago the fight was?" Elena asked laughing at the intensity of their orgasms.

"I have no fricken idea. I know why its better right after a fight, because all the emotions are still running wild. But this fight has been over since yesterday." He told her.

"I know. But you seemed to have tired me right out. I'm going to sleep." She said curling under the blankets.

"I'll come to bed in a little while. I want to go sit on the balcony for a while first." He told her kissing her forehead and slipping back into his pants.

"Alright. Don't stay up too late I want to get an early start tomorrow." She told him.

"Alright baby. Sweet dreams." He whispered before walking out of the room.


	14. Chapter 14

So sorry about the long wait but I had issues writing the entire middle part of this chapter. I had the beginning and ending written but I just didn't know how to tie it all together. Naturally I went with me usual method of filling up a chapter... adding in a dirty smut scene. As always let me know what you think. Not too many chapters left of this story, not too sure on the number yet.

I own nothing pertaining to "The Vampire Diaries" it's owned by their rightful owners.

* * *

The bright Italian sunshine shone though the bedroom window the next morning and Elena buried her head in the pillow.

"Go away." She groaned.

"The sun is up. Wakey wakey. We have lots to accomplish today." Damon called out, walking into the bedroom with a breakfast tray complete with yellow tulip and orange juice.

"It's early. I'm tired." Elena whined.

"Too bad. I come bearing breakfast. I've been up for three hours already." Damon told her tapping his watch.

"What time is it?" She asked.

"10:00." Damon told her.

"What time did you come to bed last night?" She asked sitting up in bed and taking the tray from him.

"About 1. The balcony was relaxing." He shrugged.

"Oh. This really is delicious." Elena said as she chewed a bit of french toast thoughtfully.

"This hotel does breakfast really well. I'm impressed." Damon mentioned.

"So what is on today's agenda?" She asked.

"Tonight we're taking a gondola ride... for the rest of the day I just figured we'd wander around. Check things out. That sort

of thing." He told her.

"Sound perfect. I want to buy some souvenirs for everyone at home. I keep forgetting to do that." Elena said.

"Good idea. We'll go for a romantic dinner tonight then head out on our gondola ride." He told her.

"This sounds like it's going to be a perfect day. You win... I'll get up" She told him as she swung her legs out of bed and walked towards the bathroom to get ready for the day.

"Hurry up." He called to her with a smile on his face. If today went well, it would be one of the best days of his life.

She walked into the bathroom and stripped out of her pyjamas and stepped into the shower. She hummed softly to herself as she washed her hair and body, savouring the hot water; knowing that her beloved boyfriend was most likely getting annoyed that she was taking far too long.

"Hurry up Elena, we have things to do." He told her knocking softly on the door which he thought was locked.

"I can't persuade you with a quickie in the shower?" She called out to him.

"There's a possible quickie in the shower? Alright I'm coming in." He said his desire to get out and see Venice changing to a white hot desire to his beautiful girlfriend. He turned the knob and found that it was unlocked, the naughty minx was waiting for him all this time. He walked in and started dropping his clothes feeling her heated gaze on him the entire time. He slowed down his movements for her benefit, she had always loved watching him take off his clothes. She loved the foreplay of a slow striptease, though she would never admit it. He opened the shower door and slipped in behind her.

"Since I already had a shower today this is essentially a waste of water but I can't bring myself to care." He told her kissing the spot where her shoulder met her neck.

"I didn't think you'd have too many issues with a bout of shower sex to start off the day." She murmured as she pushed back against him, causing his dick to slide between the cheeks of her ass.

"Oh God, I could come like this." He warned her as she continued sliding along his length.

"Let's see how many times you can come in a shower." She decided, still needing to find a way to apologize for their last spat. She still felt guilty for saying no to him even though he never actually proposed. This was the best way to show him how sorry she still was.

"What was our last record? Three, in a 15 minute shower?" He asked proud of their last record.

"You can get it up faster than any man in the history of the world I think." Elena noted as she continued sliding him against her ass. She rubbed against him quickly, moving her ass against him as he gripped her hips.

"You're going to make me come." He warned her as he felt his balls pull up. In the entire time they had been together he had never come all over her ass before.

"Then do it, we don't have a lot of time." She told him as she slowed down her movements against him causing him to groan.

"Fuck... Elena." He groaned as he spilled all over her ass. He rubbed his cum into the flesh of her ass as the water washed it away.

"One." She counted smirking at him over her shoulder.

"God you counting my orgasms is turning me on again. I want to make you come too." He told her.

"Later. This one is all about you." She told him.

"I want to make you come at least once." He told her.

" You will when you fuck me." She told him as she reached behind him and grabbed his still semi-hard dick. She started rubbing her hand along his shaft.

"Elena." He groaned as she rubbed her hand along him. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as she worked him over with her hand. She reached down and cupped his balls in her hand squeezing them in her hand loving the effect she had on him.

"Elena fuck." He groaned as he felt himself grow impossibly hard in her hand.

"Come baby. You know you want to." She told him as she rubbed impossibly faster. Her hand moving at near vampire speed on his cock.

"Jesus." He moaned as he thrust his hips into her hand over and over again. "So fucking close." He hissed through his teeth as she was making him go wild.

"I want you to come all over my hand." She urged him.

"Oh God." He hissed when he burst all over her hand

"Two." She counted with a smirk on her face as his chest heaved against the wall of the shower.

"You are exhausting me." He whispered.

"Our goal is two more." She told him as she dropped to her knees in front of him.

"God Elena, I don't think I can take anymore. I'm a vampire but you pushed me further than anyone ever has." He told her. She simply smirked up at him and took just his head in her mouth. As a vampire his stamina was far better than a normal man, but still she was quickly bringing him to his knees. She laved at his head, and ran the tip of her tongue against the hole at the tip of his dick. Damon hissed and threw his head against the back of the shower, the bang echoing through the shower. She pulled back and smirked up at him before taking his dick in her hand and rubbing it as she took his balls in her mouth. She sucked on him and he let out a hiss like he had been burned, but she was fairly confident that it wasn't from pain. She lightly scratched the inside of his thigh turning him on even more.

"How the fuck do you do this to me? We completely defy every law of biology when we're together. Man nor vampire should not be able to come like this in such a short time." Damon moaned as he thrust into her hand as she sucked on his testicles.

"Elena unless you want me to come on your hand again you're going to want to move back to my dick." He warned her and thrust into her hand.

"Naughty naughty boy, you want to come in my mouth." She told him as she obliged him and took his dick into her mouth again. She sucked hard on his head again while she fondled his balls in her hand squeezing them and rolling them in her hand.

"Why are you so good to me?" Damon asked as he thrust shallowly into her mouth, not wanting her to gag. This time he didn't have time to warn her before he erupted. He shot thick streams of release down her throat and she swallowed greedily.

"Because I love you." She told him in response to his question.

"I love you too, now it's my turn to make you crazy." He said.

"How do you want me?" She asked.

"Bend over, brace your hands on the wall." He instructed her. She did exactly as he said and bent over and spread her legs. He lined himself up behind her and thrust inside in one thrust.

"Oh my God." She hissed when he filled her too full in one thrust.

"How am I still so hard?" He asked as he started thrusting within her walls.

"You're inside me. Five minutes left, hurry up." She told him. He smirked at her and resumed his pace, fucking her at vampire speed. Her nails dug into the wall as he took her hard.

Five minutes later when they had both come apart and were standing under the spray of the shower washing off.

"We have to hurry." He said as he washed all the evidence of his four orgasms.

"I'm done." She said as she stepped out of the shower, and wrapped a white fluffy towel around her. When he was finished he stepped out after her. Elena quickly dressed in a pair of denim shorts and a white eyelet lace top and waited for Damon to dress.

"Okay, let's go." He said when he was dressed in his usual uniform. She dutifully followed him out of the hotel room and down to the main floor.

"So where to first?" She asked.

"Let's just walk around Venice." He suggested.

They walked until they found one of the wine bars. Elena snapping pictures the entire way. She wanted to document every part of this trip.

"Want a glass of wine?" He asked her.

"Sure, I love real Italian wine." She told him as they went to sit down at one of the water-side tables. A waiter speaking

only Italian walked up and Elena had no idea what he was saying. She was relieved she had Damon by her side conversing with the waiter. The waiter brought back two glasses of red wine and Elena took a sip of it marvelling at how good it was. Damon was truly adept at choosing wines for her. He never chose one she didn't like.

"This is delicious. I can taste so many different flavours in this one." She sighed as she took another sip.

"It is very good. I may buy a bottle to bring home with us." He said as he swirled the liquid in his glass.

"It's delicious. It's funny this trip has turned me into a full-fledged experienced wine drinker." Elena said.

"You're quite experienced there now." He agreed with her.

"It's all because of you." She said as she finished the wine in her glass. He smiled at her and finished his wine, leaving some money on the table they left.

"Remind me to pick up a bottle of this wine before we leave Venice in a few days." He told her as they strolled hand in hand along the water ways.

"I will. It was my favourite one I've tasted the entire time we've been in Italy." She told him.

They walked through Venice all day, stopping at little shops along the way. By the time they made it back to the hotel, both of them were armed with several shopping bags from all the stores they stopped at. Elena felt the need to buy gifts for all their friends and family back at home, plus something for Bella and Antonio for taking such good care of them.

"We didn't need to buy them anything. They get paid really well to take care of the house and they don't have to pay any bills." Damon told her as they walked into their room to change for dinner.

"It was just a nice gesture. Bella is a huge part of the reason we made as much progress as we did this trip. She convinced me that I was still just as much in love with you as I was before." Elena told him.

"Okay. I believe you." He said as he went into the bathroom to change into something slightly more formal. They were going to a five star restaurant for dinner then taking a romantic gondola ride after dinner. They changed separately because they didn't have time to lose control around one another. They had reservations to make.

Once Damon was done in the bathroom, Elena moved past him so she could do something with her hair quickly and apply some makeup. The dress she was wearing was fairly simple but far dressier than the shorts and top she was wearing earlier.

"You look lovely." He told her when she emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later.

"I didn't even really do anything." She said shrugging slightly with a soft smile on her face.

"It doesn't matter, you still look beautiful." He told her, kissing her cheek so he didn't smudge her makeup.

"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself." She told him smiling.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked.

"Yes." She agreed as he took her hand and led her down to the hotel restaurant again. The restaurant was incredible, the food was some of the best she had ever tasted, other than Damon's. Damon was truly a jack of all trades, he could do absolutely anything.

"This is a perfect evening." Elena sighed.

"Well it's going to get a lot better. We're going on a gondola ride after dinner." He told her and her face lit up.

"I wasn't sure when we were going to do that." Elena grinned.

"I want to do it tonight. Seems like the best night for it. The sky is so clear." He told her.

" I agree." She said scooping up a forkful of her pasta. They ate in comfortable silence for the rest of their meal, Elena vibrating with suppressed excitement for her gondola ride.

"Are you getting excited or something?" He asked laughing at her fidgety state.

"I am. I mean how many times in one lifetime does a girl get to be with the love of her life on a gondola, aside from the

ones who live around here?" She asked.

"Not too many." He agreed.

"Exactly. I'm pretty sure I'm the only Mystic Falls girl to ever get this treatment." She said.

"You probably are, are you ready to go?" He asked.

"Absolutely." She said pushing her empty plate away and waiting for Damon.

The gondolier sang softly in the moonlight as they drifted down the canals.

"This really is the perfect night." Elena breathed as a blanket rested over their laps. The gondolier studiously ignored their conversation as per his job. He just sang and paddled his boat through the night.

"This night is either going to get better or get worse from here on." He told her turning towards her slightly.

"I can't see any reason this night is going to get worse." She whispered, her gaze locked on his.

"It depends on your answer to the next question I ask you." He told her seriously.

"Ask." She told him nodding, she had a small smile on her face as if she expected the question.

"Okay, now I'm sure you know what I'm about to ask you and I'm know you know why I'm nervous about it. But I'm going to ask you one more time... Elena Marie Gilbert would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"


End file.
